THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE

An acclaimed “gothic” noir - which is a blend of psychological terror, horror, and mystery, often in a "period' setting. After the first fifteen minutes, you enter - never to leave - a dark, suffocating Victorian mansion where a young mute caretaker is stalked by a notorious serial killer who targets women with disabilities. Stunning set design by Albert D’Agostino, one of the best Golden Age art directors, and a master class in film noir chiaroscuro, a high-contrast technique that uses intense interplay between light and shadow to conjure ambiance.

The 1946 box office hit featured a stellar female-centric cast including Dorothy McGuire, Elsa Lancaster (Bride of Frankenstein), twenty-two-year-old Rhonda Flemming, and Ethel Barrymore, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Directed by a young Robert Siodmak.

Critics regard The Spiral Staircase as a progenitor of the subgenre that would later be called “slasher” films, the most prominent of which from its “classic” period include Psycho and Nightmare on Elm Street.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The story was adapted for television in 1961 (with Elizabeth Montgomery of Bewitched fame and Lillian Gish) and again in 2000 (with Nicollett Sheridan). Jacqueline Bisset played the lead in the 1975 film remake.