Then too, he knows how to use the Louis Hayward character to liven up the Gothic solemnity. But Vidor keeps things moving and our attention with it. Just consider the single, fog-bound set that could have become impossibly static. Stylish director Charles Vidor does a lot with the slender material.
No wonder, Lupino takes extreme protective measures. But it's really the girlish Barrett, an obscure RKO actress, who steals the show- all innocence and wide-eyed enthusiasm over the least little thing.
It's like she's taken a solemn oath to defend her pathetic sisters, and she's going to do it, no matter the sacrifice, unlike the bounder Louis Hayward who takes advantage of the situation only to enrich himself. Watch her with her tightly wrapped hairdo and stiff-necked manner. It's this unbending family loyalty that finally lends Lupino's role an uncommon measure of dramatic pathos. Lupino's cursed with two ditzy sisters and, by golly, she's going to take care of them come what may. But that's okay because it's a Gothic thriller with lots of shadowy interiors and dark secrets inside a big old house. Adapted from a stage play, everything takes place on a single foggy sound stage. Assembly line product or no, this is an atmospheric and expertly acted 90 minutes from Columbia Pictures, with that great unsung actress of the period Ida Lupino, supported by two of the daffiest character actresses of the day, Elsa Lanchester and the wild-eyed Edith Barrett. In 1942, I expect the studios tossed off productions like this like cars on an assembly line. Summing up: Chilling atmosphere, superior B&W art direction, and a good score help make it an engrossing experience. The film is really a showcase for her undeniable talent and it's a shame that she never received an Oscar nomination for her role. She is the pivotal character in the grim tale, perhaps a shade too young to be cast as Louis Hayward's aunt, but she inhabits the role with all the force of her personality. And that's quite a compliment considering she is surrounded by expert actresses like ELSA LANCHESTER, EDITH BARRETT, ISOBEL ELSOM and EVELYN KEYES. But it is IDA LUPINO and her powerful portrait of a woman in jeopardy of losing everything she has worked for, that really stands out here. LOUIS HAYWARD is excellent as a charming scoundrel, a young nephew who begins to suspect that something has happened to Elsom and prowls around trying to solve the mystery of her disappearance The storyline bears similarities to NIGHT MUST FALL, the Robert Montgomery/Rosalind Russell/Dame May Witty thriller, another psychological tale involving a psychotic who wins over a rich old lady with his charm. Lupino has a stormy confrontation with Elsom in order to convince her that her siblings must stay, but she loses the argument and decides the next day to settle things her own way. ISOBEL ELSOM is the foolish, rich English lady living on the moors with a maid (EVELYN KEYES) and agreeing only to a short visit from Lupino's sisters but soon finding herself in the position of having to order them away after a prolonged stay. Here we have a very watchable Gothic suspense tale with IDA LUPINO giving one of her most restrained, yet brilliant performances in the leading role as a woman who is willing to commit murder for the sake of keeping her two dotty sisters out of an insane asylum.
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