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IMDbPro

The Spiral Staircase

  • 19751975
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
4.7/10
449
YOUR RATING
The Spiral Staircase (1975)
  • Horror
  • Mystery
  • Thriller
In a remake of the 1940s film, Helen has been incapable of speech since seeing her husband die - will she become the target of a deranged serial killer targeting disabled people?In a remake of the 1940s film, Helen has been incapable of speech since seeing her husband die - will she become the target of a deranged serial killer targeting disabled people?In a remake of the 1940s film, Helen has been incapable of speech since seeing her husband die - will she become the target of a deranged serial killer targeting disabled people?
IMDb RATING
4.7/10
449
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Peter Collinson
  • Writers
    • Chris Bryant(screenplay)
    • Allan Scott(screenplay)
    • Mel Dinelli(1946 screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Jacqueline Bisset
    • Christopher Plummer
    • John Phillip Law
Top credits
  • Director
    • Peter Collinson
  • Writers
    • Chris Bryant(screenplay)
    • Allan Scott(screenplay)
    • Mel Dinelli(1946 screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Jacqueline Bisset
    • Christopher Plummer
    • John Phillip Law
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 16User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos21

    Gayle Hunnicutt and John Phillip Law in The Spiral Staircase (1975)
    Heather Lowe in The Spiral Staircase (1975)
    Jacqueline Bisset in The Spiral Staircase (1975)
    Gayle Hunnicutt and John Phillip Law in The Spiral Staircase (1975)
    Jacqueline Bisset and Sheila Brennan in The Spiral Staircase (1975)
    The Spiral Staircase (1975)
    The Spiral Staircase (1975)
    The Spiral Staircase (1975)
    The Spiral Staircase (1975)
    The Spiral Staircase (1975)
    Jacqueline Bisset and Christopher Plummer in The Spiral Staircase (1975)
    Jacqueline Bisset in The Spiral Staircase (1975)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jacqueline Bisset
    Jacqueline Bisset
    • Helenas Helen
    Christopher Plummer
    Christopher Plummer
    • Dr. Shermanas Dr. Sherman
    John Phillip Law
    John Phillip Law
    • Stevenas Steven
    • (as John Philip Law)
    Sam Wanamaker
    Sam Wanamaker
    • Lieut. Fieldsas Lieut. Fields
    Mildred Dunnock
    Mildred Dunnock
    • Mrs. Shermanas Mrs. Sherman
    Gayle Hunnicutt
    Gayle Hunnicutt
    • Blancheas Blanche
    Elaine Stritch
    Elaine Stritch
    • Nurseas Nurse
    John Ronane
    • Dr. Rawleyas Dr. Rawley
    Sheila Brennan
    • Mrs. Oatesas Mrs. Oates
    Ronald Radd
    Ronald Radd
    • Oatesas Oates
    Heather Lowe
    Heather Lowe
    • Blind Girlas Blind Girl
    Christopher Malcolm
    Christopher Malcolm
    • Policemanas Policeman
    • Director
      • Peter Collinson
    • Writers
      • Chris Bryant(screenplay)
      • Allan Scott(screenplay)
      • Mel Dinelli(1946 screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film was made and released about forty-two years after its source novel "Some Must Watch" by Ethel Lina White had been first published in 1933.
    • Connections
      Remade as The Spiral Staircase (2000)

    User reviews16

    Review
    Top review
    3/10
    In The Spiral Staircase, no-one can hear Helen scream.
    It takes special kind of psycho to deliberately target disabled people for not being perfect; while regular movie maniacs tend to reserve their rage for healthy victims (often teenagers in the prime of their life), the killer in The Spiral Staircase has it in for those with physical impairments. Having already bumped off several handicapped people (the latest being a blind woman), the loony sets their sights on pretty mute Helen (Jacqueline Bisset), who has been unable to speak since a fire tragically claimed the lives of her husband and daughter.

    A remake of the 1946 movie of the same name, this 1975 version is primarily set in a remote country house during a thunderstorm that frequently threatens to wipe out the power and plunge the film's raft of disparate characters into darkness: in addition to Helen, the building's occupants are Professor Sherman (Christopher Plummer), his sexy Southern secretary Blanche (Gayle Hunnicutt), the prof's mother (Mildred Dunnock) and younger brother Steven (John Phillip Law), Mrs Sherman's nurse (Elaine Stritch), handyman Oates (Ronald Radd) and his drunken wife (Sheila Brennan).

    Despite the creepy local, the stormy setting, plenty of suspects, victims and red herrings, and the delightfully perverse notion of a killer targeting the most defenceless, The Spiral Staircase is actually about as thrilling as Professor Sherman's line of expertise: management skills (yawn!). Director Peter Collinson (The Italian Job) fails to generate any tension, boredom being the most likely emotion experienced by viewers as the thunder crashes, the rain pours, and no-one in the house gets killed for almost an entire hour. When the murders do begin, they are poorly staged and totally devoid of gore-definitely not worth the excruciatingly dull wait.

    For a much more suspenseful film about a disabled woman being threatened by a homicidal maniac, watch Blind Terror, AKA See No Evil (1971), starring Mia Farrow, or even Eyes of a Stranger (1981) with Jennifer Jason Leigh ('nuff said!).
    helpful•0
    0
    • BA_Harrison
    • May 2, 2021

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 31, 1975 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Das Geheimnis der Wendeltreppe
    • Filming locations
      • Bracknell, Berkshire, England, UK
    • Production company
      • Raven Films (I)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 29 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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