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| DIRECTED BY |
| Robert Siodmak
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| STARRING |
| Dorothy McGuire |
| George Brent |
| Ethel Barrymore |
| Kent Smith |
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Warning: Spoiler in Final Paragraph
Here�s a reasonably intelligent and at times extremely well shot murder mystery that ultimately degrades itself with overwrought melodramatics and plot stupidities. It�s one of the earliest serial killer movies that I�ve seen and it actually holds up pretty well in terms of creepiness � at least for small sections of the film.
The �psychotic eye� montages in particular are very well done, as well as the dolly and lighting work. An early scene in which Helen makes her way back home is excellent � a lightning flash shows us the killer quietly standing by a tree, and the camera then quickly follows his pacing feet along the rain-drenched ground. There are some very good moments of suspense as well, such as when Helen attempts to escape the house by signaling to the police chief from a window.
A lot of it doesn�t make sense though. For instance, how in the world would the police be able to trace a murder back to a specific household and still not know who it is? And even in that case, wouldn�t they keep an eye on the place at all times instead of just making random appearances? The film does a reasonably good job of deceiving you; however, it also suffers from the �Talking Killer Complex,� in which the actual murderer is revealed because he�s idiotic enough to explain everything.
As for the melodramatics � actions and dialogue are sometimes so exaggerated that it almost ruins the whole film for me. What�s up with that sickly old woman managing to get up out of her bed and wield a gun at the end? And right after she finishes her speech she collapses to the floor in perfectly phony fashion. The sudden return of Helen�s voice is also too stupid for words. I really love that overhead shot of the whole spiral staircase that we see near the end, however, and it�s cinematography like this that saves 'The Spiral Staircase' from forgettable mediocrity.
