The Spiral Staircase

1946

Action / Drama / Horror / Mystery / Thriller

14
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 78% · 22 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 78% · 5K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.3/10 10 12334 12.3K

based on novel or book staircase childhood trauma violence against women half-brother stepson

Plot summary

On a stormy night, the mute servant to an ailing matriarch is stalked by a serial killer.

Director

Robert Siodmak Photo
Robert Siodmak

Top cast

Kent Smith Photo
Kent Smith as Dr. Parry
Ellen Corby Photo
Ellen Corby as Neighbour
Myrna Dell Photo
Myrna Dell as Murder Victim
Elsa Lanchester Photo
Elsa Lanchester as Mrs. Oates
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
688.57 MB
988*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 23 min
Seeds 1
1.31 GB
1472*1072
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 23 min
Seeds 12

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by gavin6942 8 / 10

The Greatest Old Dark House Film of Its Era?

A killer who targets women with imperfections is on the loose. Everyone suspects the next victim will be Helen, who is mute and works as a caregiver for a wealthy old woman. Who is the killer and is Helen safe?George Brent stars in this, along with a marvelous cast. I am not familiar with Brent's work, but he was amazing here. And working under Robert Siodmak? What more can you ask for? The Siodmak brothers were a strong force in their day, and sadly forgotten by many today.If you like film noir, thrillers or subtle horror, this film is really a must-see. The title is a tad misleading. Near as I can tell, the spiral staircase plays no important role in the film. But, still, a must-see regardless of title.
Reviewed by MartinHafer 9 / 10

A great sleeper film--and not to be missed by lovers of suspense

When I picked up the Leonard Maltin Guide, it compared this film to a Hitchcock suspense and so I thought I'd give it a try. In many ways, though, I liked this film much more than many of Hitchcock's 1940s films. It was far more suspenseful and well-written than I'd expected and I found myself really getting sucked into the film.Dorothy McGuire plays a mute who cannot talk because of a hysterical reaction to a trauma she experienced as a child. Despite being unable to talk, she seems very well-liked by those around her because she is a fundamentally decent person. However, some of these friends are terribly concerned for her, as an at-large maniac has just recently murdered three people--seemingly because they had some disability. In particular, a nice doctor (Kent Smith) and her employer (Ethel Barrymore) urge her to move out of town. In addition, Smith wants to take her to Boston to have a specialist see her about her inability to speak.Throughout the film, excellent camera-work (with lots of great angles and shadows), music, direction and writing serve to create a lot of believable tension and suspense. About the only possible negative is that because there is a relatively small cast, it isn't all that hard to guess which one is the maniac--though I must say this was still handled quite well. A top-notch movie that has somehow gotten overlooked--it's every bit as good or better as such contemporary Hitchcock films as SHADOW OF A DOUBT, ROPE or THE SABOTEUR.
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