A KISS BEFORE DYING is James Dearden's remake of Gerd Oswald's 1957 potboiler, both based on Ira Levin's beautifully titled novel.
Jonathan Corliss (Matt Dillon), a youth literally from the wrong side of the tracks in Pittsburgh, is obsessed with gaining wealth and prestige. He fixates on the family of one particular local tycoon, Thor Carlsson (Max von Sydow).
He seduces Carlsson's gullible daughter, Dorothy (Sean Young), but when she becomes pregnant, an event which will force their marriage and her subsequent disinheritance, he murders her. Having kept a successfully low profile during their liaison, he is then able to approach Dorothy's grieving twin sister, Ellen (Young again) and get under her skin, as well.
This time, his plans go through without a hitch. He wins the approval of Carlsson, marries Ellen and settles into a cushy son-in-law-also-rises position in the family company. Ellen, however, is bent on uncovering the truth about her sister's death, never having believed it to be a suicide. Her investigations lead to the horrifying disclosure of Jonathan's true nature, providing a wild climax.