-Possible Spoilers-
The Spiral Staircase is a fine example of why I seem to prefer classic films over the majority of what is turned out from Hollywood today, particularly in the suspense/thriller genre. The film has a fairly simple plot; in turn of the century New England, a serial killer is targeting women with various physical impairments and sets his sights on Helen, (Dorothy McGuire) a woman who has been mute since a traumatic moment in her childhood. During one stormy night in the mansion where she works as a nurse/companion for a dying matriarch (Ethel Barrymore) she finds that she is the next target and is trapped in the house with the killer inside.
While the story is pretty basic, and the killer is pretty easily identifiable early on, this is a really creepy film that brilliant employs a lot of simple devices to make the film psychologically scary and very suspenseful. Even more artful, I found that the moments left in the film after we find out who the killer is to be the most frightening; I literally could feel my heart pounding. It was no surprise to learn that audiences in 1946 were absolutely terrified during this film, because it is masterfully done.
--Shelly
The Spiral Staircase is a fine example of why I seem to prefer classic films over the majority of what is turned out from Hollywood today, particularly in the suspense/thriller genre. The film has a fairly simple plot; in turn of the century New England, a serial killer is targeting women with various physical impairments and sets his sights on Helen, (Dorothy McGuire) a woman who has been mute since a traumatic moment in her childhood. During one stormy night in the mansion where she works as a nurse/companion for a dying matriarch (Ethel Barrymore) she finds that she is the next target and is trapped in the house with the killer inside.
While the story is pretty basic, and the killer is pretty easily identifiable early on, this is a really creepy film that brilliant employs a lot of simple devices to make the film psychologically scary and very suspenseful. Even more artful, I found that the moments left in the film after we find out who the killer is to be the most frightening; I literally could feel my heart pounding. It was no surprise to learn that audiences in 1946 were absolutely terrified during this film, because it is masterfully done.
--Shelly