The character using a cursed object in this episode is an actor who uses the stage name William Pratt. Without the benefit of the cursed object, the handsome actor is disfigured and looks like a monster. William Pratt is the birth name of actor Boris Karloff.
The story of Jeff Amory partially parallels that of real-life actor Rondo Hatton, who was consigned to bit parts because of his facial disfigurement caused by acromegaly.