[1][2] Go Down Death takes place in an African-American community where the criminal boss Big Jim Bottoms (Spencer Williams) runs a successful juke joint.

The arrival of a new preacher (Samuel H. James) to the town results in many of Big Jim's customers leaving the juke joint in favor of attending church.

Aunt Caroline dies from her injuries, but Big Jim escapes arrest by claiming an unknown burglar was the culprit.

Go Down Death was the third in a trilogy of religious-oriented films directed by Spencer Williams, an African-American filmmaker and actor, for the production and distribution company.

[1] To depict the horrors of Hell, Williams used clips from the Italian silent film L'Inferno (1911),[4][5] which had been an international success.