The Spiral Staircase (1945)

Director:

Robert Siodmak

Writers:

Ethel Lina White (novel)
Mel Dinelli (writer)

Release Date:

December 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A serial killer (circa 1916) is targeting women with 'afflictions'; one night during a thunderstorm, mute Helen feels menaced...

Plot Keywords:

Mute | Mansion | Murder | Serial Killer | Professor

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Dorothy McGuire	...	Helen Capel
George Brent	...	Professor Warren
Ethel Barrymore	...	Mrs. Warren
Kent Smith	...	Dr. Parry
Rhonda Fleming	...	Blanche
Gordon Oliver	...	Steve Warren
Elsa Lanchester	...	Mrs. Oates
Sara Allgood	...	Nurse Barker
Rhys Williams	...	Mr. Oates
James Bell	...	Constable

Also Known As:

Silence of Helen McCord (USA) (working title)
Some Must Watch (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | UK:A (original rating) (1946) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (re-rating) (2004) | USA:Unrated

Company:

Dore Schary Productions

Trivia:

The silent film within the film that the audience watches at the beginning is The Sands of Dee (1912), directed by D.W. Griffith.

Goofs:

Continuity: As the projectionist hand cranks the projector which is on a shaky tripod, the projector wobbles noticeably but the image on the screen is steady.

Quotes:

Constable: She's dead!
Dr. Parry: Well, in that case, Constable, I certainly can't do her any harm.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Spiral Staircase (1975)

Soundtrack:

Waltz Op. 34 No. 2 in A minor

excllent psychological thriller

This is one of the most elegantly crafted, paced, photographed and designed of all lady-in-distress thrillers, a sub-genre I am not altogether fond of, but in this case the result is something near to a masterpiece. The actors, especially Dorothy McGuire, are first-rate. I'm particularly in love with the house, a cavernous Victorian, over-decorated, visually and spatially 'busy' place, full of odd furniture and fixtures, rugs, lamps and mirrors, it is as much a character as any person in the film. Kudos to the RKO art department, fifty plus years later I salute them. The way the house is explored is a fascinating as the way the characters are presented. Bit by bit we grow accustomed to the place and its denizens, and when the inevitable thunderstorm happens we feel comfortable inside, aware of the menace within we are none the less seduced by the grandness of the place, indeed enveloped by it, as the air of danger becomes almost cozy, and the gothic surroundings become as comforting as they are baleful. This is no small trick; it's an art. Name a film of the past thirty years that comes close to The Spiral Staircase in its exploration of the various shades of meaning in what for want of a better term one would have to call the Great Gothic Place.