| Director | Tobe Hooper |
|---|---|
| Box office | $1.8 million |
The Mangler, in Gartley's Blue Ribbon Laundry service, is a laundry press owned by Bill Gartley. Gartley's niece, Sherry, accidentally cuts herself on a lever connected to the machine and splashes blood on the Mangler's tread while trying to avoid being crushed by an old ice box some movers are clumsily carrying past. Sparks and light streams occur when the blood and the ice box come into close contact with the Mangler. Later, Mrs. Frawley, an elderly worker struggling to open a bottle of antacids, spills them on the moving tread. When she attempts to collect them, the safety shield inexplicably lifts up and traps her hand inside, followed by her body getting pulled into the machine, crushed and folded like a sheet.
Police officer John Hunton, with the help of his demonologist brother-in-law Mark, investigates the incident and others. Mark tries to convince Hunton that the machine may be possessed and the only way to stop the deaths is to exorcise the machine to dispel whatever demon is inhabiting it. They also learn that Gartley and the town elders have sacrificed their virginal daughters to the machine on their 16th birthdays in exchange for wealth and power, with Gartley planning to do the same to Sherry.
With Sherry's help, the two men attempt to exorcise the demon – which also kills Gartley, his lover and protégé Lin Sue, and the laundry's foreman Stanner – by reciting a prayer and administering holy water. The machine gives one last groan and shuts down. As the three sigh with relief, Hunton takes some antacids, admitting to Mark that they belonged to Mrs. Frawley. Mark suddenly realizes that the key ingredient in the antacids is deadly nightshade, also called "the Hand of Glory" as outlined in his occult book. Since the machine was accidentally fed the same antacids, Mark realizes that not only was the exorcism useless, as the demon is still alive, it is now stronger than ever. The machine bursts to life and appears to have a mind of its own, shedding pieces of metal and rising like a wild beast. The three run through the warehouse, chased by the now-mobile Mangler. The Mangler tears Mark apart, killing him, while John and Sherry descend a flight of stairs. In their hurry to escape, they fall through a large manhole into the sewer below. Suddenly, something falls from the machine into the water, and a mechanical wail ensues. The machine draws back and becomes still, and John and Sherry escape.
While waiting to hear news of Sherry, John receives a letter from his departed friend and confidant, photographer J.J.J. Pictureman, who warns him not to trust anyone in the town missing a body part as they are possessed by the Mangler. John discovers that the machine has returned to its place on the floor and resumed its duties as a speed ironer, and Sherry, now missing her ring finger from her encounter with the Mangler, has taken her uncle's place as the new tyrannical owner of the Blue Ribbon Laundry. John throws away the flowers he brought her and leaves the factory for good.