The Spiral Staircase (1946 film)
The Spiral Staircase | |
---|---|
Directed by | Robert Siodmak |
Screenplay by | Mel Dinelli |
Based on | Some Must Watch by Ethel Lina White[1] |
Produced by | Dore Schary |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Nicholas Musuraca |
Edited by |
|
Music by | Roy Webb |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $750,000[3] |
Box office | $2.8 million (U.S. rentals)[4] |
The Spiral Staircase is a 1946 American psychological horror film[5] directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, and Ethel Barrymore. Set over the course of one evening, the film follows a mute young woman in an early-20th century Vermont town who is stalked and terrorized in a rural mansion by a serial killer targeting women with disabilities. Gordon Oliver, Rhonda Fleming, and Elsa Lanchester appear in supporting roles. It was adapted for the screen by Mel Dinelli from the novel Some Must Watch (1933) by Ethel Lina White.
The project originated with producer
The Spiral Staircase premiered in New York City on February 6, 1946 and went on to become a box-office success, earning nearly $3 million. It was met by favorable critical reviews, praised for its cinematography, atmosphere, and suspense. Barrymore earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film. In the years since its release, film scholars have noted The Spiral Staircase for its stylistic mixture of horror and film noir elements, and cited it as a progenitor of the contemporary slasher film.[6]
Plot
In a village in 1906 Vermont, the mute Helen attends a silent film screening in a local inn. During the screening, a paraplegic woman limps out of the theatre to her room. She is strangled in her room as she undresses. The killer was hiding in her closet, and we saw his eye staring wide at her, with eeie music as her image became distorted to the killer. She was pulling her clothes up over her head with her arms restricted by her clothes as the strangler strikes, so only her outstretched arms and fingers are seen flexing as she's murdered. Her murder is the third in a string of serial killings in the community, which has restarted after a hiatus, which becomes developed later.
Dr. Parry, a friend of Helen's, drives her to the Warren home, a large estate outside town where Helen is employed as a live-in companion for the bedridden Mrs. Warren. Also residing in the house are Mrs. Warren's stepson Albert, a local professor; her son, Steven, a charming, rakish playboy; and live-in staff: Mrs. Oates, a housekeeper; her husband Mr. Oates, a handyman; Blanche, Albert's beautiful secretary who is having an affair with Steven, who has recently returned from abroad; and Nurse Barker, who Mrs. Warren verbally abuses.
In the mansion while Helen pauses to see herself in a mirror, we again see the killer's staring eye looking at her, with the eerie music and her image distorted (with no mouth) to the killer. Before anything happens to her, someone enters the area.
Helen finds Mrs. Oates, who discusses the murder and expresses fear for Helen, as the killer appears to be targeting women with disabilities. After Mrs. Warren loses consciousness, Dr. Parry is summoned to the home. Nurse Barker discovers that the bottle of ether has gone missing, and Albert sends Mr. Oates to retrieve some in town. Meanwhile, Mrs. Warren regains consciousness and urges Dr. Parry to take Helen with him. He offers to take Helen to Boston and help her work through the trauma of her parents' death, the shock of which triggered her muteness. She agrees to go, and Dr. Parry makes plans to return in the evening. Albert visits winecellar with Mrs. Oates, who is a wino, who pinches a bottle and drinks herself unconscious later.
After an argument with Steven, beautiful, teary eyed Blanche asks Helen if she can leave with her that night. She agrees, and Blanche goes down the spiral staircase to the basement to retrieve her suitcase. There we see the staring eye and hear the eerie music, as Blanche's image to the killer distorts as in a funhouse mirror. She is attacked and strangled in the shadows, only her hands clutching the wall are visible as she is pinned against wall by the killer. Helen finds her corpse in the basement and is confronted by Steven. Frightened that he is responsible, she locks him downstairs and flees upstairs. She attempts to wake Mrs. Oates who has passed out, drunk on the professor's stolen brandy. Helen attempts to call Dr. Parry but is unable to speak to the telephone operator.
Albert finds Helen frantic, and she writes on a notepad that Blanche has been murdered. As he follows her up the staircase to Mrs. Warren's room, he confesses to killing her out of jealousy, "Blanche, whom I loved, did not love me." Albert then reveals how he got everyone out of the way to get her alone, and that he has a goal of killing the "weak and imperfect of the world." Albert tells her: "I saw you earlier looking at yourself in the mirror, and you had no mouth." Helen flees, locking herself in Mrs. Warren's bedroom.
Meanwhile, the constable shows up and is answered at the front door by Albert; he leaves a message for Helen letting her know that Dr. Parry is unable to return that night. Helen returns to the basement to free Steven but finds Albert waiting. He chases her, but they are met by Mrs. Warren, armed with a gun. She shoots Albert, killing him, and Helen screams in horror. Mrs. Warren explains that she suspected Albert was the killer, but wasn't sure because the murders stopped when Steven was away. She notes Albert started killing again when Steven returned to cast suspicion on him.
Mrs. Warren orders Helen to retrieve Steven, so she frees him from the basement closet. Mrs. Warren embraces him and dies on the staircase in his arms. Downstairs, Helen calls Dr. Parry on the telephone—she is now able to fully speak.
Cast
- Dorothy McGuire as Helen
- George Brent as Professor Albert Warren
- Ethel Barrymore as Mrs. Warren
- Kent Smith as Dr. Parry
- Gordon Oliver as Steven Warren
- Rhonda Fleming as Blanche
- Elsa Lanchester as Mrs. Oates
- Sara Allgood as Nurse Barker
- Rhys Williamsas Mr. Oates
- James Bell as Constable
- Erville Alderson as Dr. Harvey (uncredited)
- Robert Siodmak as The Killer's 'Eye' (uncredited)
- Carlton the Bulldog as Himself (uncredited)
Analysis
Since its release, The Spiral Staircase has been subject to significant film criticism and academic discussion, particularly in regard to the film's visual motifs and blending of horror and film noir.[7] Although characterized by contemporaneous press as a "mystery romance,"[8] the film has been noted by contemporary critics for its prominent Gothic horror elements.[9] It has also been cited as one of numerous progenitors to the slasher film,[10] specifically for its female-centric cast[11] and point-of-view cinematography deployed during scenes in which the killer stalks his victims.[12]
Film scholar Amy Golden notes several significant visual allusions in the film, such as
Production
Development
Adapted from the
When writing the screenplay, Dinelli received input from Dore Schary, who was recommended by Selznick.[16] In the early stages of Dinelli's writing, it was decided to change the setting from England to New England in the United States, which Dinelli and Schary both decided would lend a Gothic tone to the story.[16] The spiral staircase featured in the script (from which the title of the film takes its name) also featured in White's original novel.[21]
Filming
The film was shot between August and November 1945[22] on the RKO Studio lot in Los Angeles, California,[18][23] on a production budget of approximately $750,000.[3] In November 1945, it was publicized that actress McGuire went missing for approximately twenty minutes during filming after unintentionally locking herself in one of several labyrinthine rooms constructed in a studio basement.[24]
Cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca was hired to shoot the film; he had previously shot several low-budget films for Val Lewton at RKO, such as Cat People (1942), The Seventh Victim (1943), and The Curse of the Cat People (1944).[15][23] Musuraca employed several techniques to achieve the film's chiaroscuro-inspired compositions,[25] which included shooting at low angles to achieve the appearance of deep shadows onscreen.[23] In order to conceal the killer's identity, Musuraca shot director Siodmak's eyes for the close-up shots of the killer watching Helen.[23] On October 10, 1945, toward the end of the shoot, the film's assistant director, Harry Scott, died.[18]
The film featured in the opening sequence at the movie house is D. W. Griffith's The Sands of Dee, which was in reality released in 1912, six years after The Spiral Staircase takes place.[26]
Release
Box office
The Spiral Staircase premiered in New York City on February 6, 1946.[27][18] This was followed by a national theatrical run, during which the film screened in various cities across the United States during the late-winter and early-spring months of 1946.[i] It was later screened in England and Wales in June 1946.[33][34]
During its theatrical run, the film managed to gross $885,000,[27] with a total of $2.8 million in U.S. rentals, according to Variety.[4] The film was a box-office success, netting a profit of approximately $900,000.[35]
Critical reception
The Spiral Staircase is one of the season's top mystery dramas... this gripping RKO Radio offering is laid in a New England town about the turn of the century... The suspense mounts as the menace closes in around the helpless heroine, who is unable to escape from the frightening family of her employer. A climax, terrific in its impact, had yesterday's audience breathless and tense.[32]
On the internet review aggregator
A review published in the Time Out film guide called the film a "superb thriller," concluding: "Hitchcock couldn't have bettered the casual mastery with which the opening defines not just time and place (small town, turn of the century) but the themes of voyeurism and entrapment."[42] Film scholar Andrew Spicer praised the film's cinematography, calling it "the most beautifully crafted of Siodmak's films, superbly paced with the suspense steadily accumulating in intensity aided by the expressive cinematography of Nicholas Musuraca."[43] Tom Milne of the Time Out Film Guide called the film "one of the undoubted masterpieces of the Gothic mode."[44]
Ethel Barrymore was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 19th Academy Awards.[45]
Home media
The Spiral Staircase was released on VHS and DVD in 2000 by Anchor Bay Entertainment.[46][47] It was re-released on DVD by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 2005 after the studio and its catalogue were acquired by Sony Pictures.[46] On October 2, 2018, Kino Lorber released DVD and Blu-ray editions in the United States under license from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, which owns this film as part of the David O. Selznick library; Kino Lorber's release features a 4K scan from the original film elements.[48]
Adaptations
The novel was adapted for a radio production starring Helen Hayes before reaching the screen.
The Spiral Staircase was adapted as a half-hour radio play on the November 25, 1949, broadcast of
In 1961, a televised adaptation starring Elizabeth Montgomery and Lillian Gish was released.[49] It was remade again in 1975 as The Spiral Staircase with Jacqueline Bisset, and again as a 2000 TV film The Spiral Staircase with Nicollette Sheridan.
Notes
- ^ Newspaper sources from various U.S. cities mention the film screening in local cinemas between February and June 1946, including cinemas in Detroit, Michigan;[8] Nashville, Tennessee;[28] Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;[29] Cincinnati, Ohio;[30] Havre, Montana;[31] and Corvallis, Oregon,[32] among others.
References
- ^ Kabatchnik 2010, p. 774.
- ^ Golden 2015, p. 105.
- ^ a b Stegel, Fred (September 1945). "14 RKO Pictures to Exceed Million In Prod. Cost in Coming 'Year of Years'". Variety. p. 4 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b "60 Top Grossers of 1946". Variety. January 8, 1947. p. 8 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b c Golden 2015, p. 90.
- ^ Hutchings 2009, p. 294.
- ^ Golden 2015, pp. 90–93.
- ^ a b "PARTNERS IN FEAR". Detroit Free Press. February 5, 1946. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Golden 2015, p. 89.
- ^ Whitty, Stephen (March 8, 2009). "From monstrous metaphor to brainless splatter, the slasher film devolves". NJ.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023.
- ^ Olney 2015, p. 61.
- ^ Hutchings 2017, p. 300.
- ^ Golden 2015, p. 92.
- ^ Lawrence 1991, p. 6.
- ^ a b Nixon, Rob. "Trivia and Fun Facts for The Spiral Staircase". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Nixon, Rob. "The Big Idea Behind The Spiral Staircase". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ Commire 2000, p. 759.
- ^ a b c d "The Spiral Staircase". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ L., G. (November 5, 1945). "Reviews and Previews". Harrisburg Telegraph. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ ""Spiral Staircase"". The Seattle Star. November 9, 1945. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ White 1941, pp. 55, 75.
- ^ "Ethel Barrymore Winds Up Chore for Selznick". The Austin Statesman. November 18, 1945. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Nixon, Rob. "Behind the Scenes on The Spiral Staircase". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- ^ "Has Eerie Experience". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 21, 1945. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Alpi 1998, p. 145.
- ^ Pitts 2015, p. 310.
- ^ a b Jewell & Harbin 1985, p. 210.
- ^ "Playhouse Presents 'Kiss and Tell;' 'Scarlet Street' Coming to Loew's". The Tennessean. March 3, 1946. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Strangler on the Loose in 'Spiral Staircase'". The Pittsburgh Press. March 15, 1946. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
- Cincinnati Enquirer. April 10, 1946. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "SHOWING NEXT THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY— "The Spiral Staircase"". The Havre Daily News. April 26, 1946. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "The Spiral Staircase". Corvallis Gazette-Times. April 27, 1946. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- Ellesmere Port Pioneer. June 14, 1946. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Odeon Theatres". North Wales Weekly News. June 27, 1946. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Pitts 2015, p. 307.
- ^ "Review: 'The Spiral Staircase'". Variety. 1946. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (February 7, 1946). "The Spiral Staircase (1946)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ "'Spiral Staircase' At The Rivoli". Beatrice Daily Sun. Entertainment. June 23, 1946. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Spiral Staircase (1946)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-452-29577-3.
- ^ Kael 2011, p. 701.
- ^ Time Out Staff (September 10, 2012). "The Spiral Staircase, directed by Robert Siodmak". Time Out. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020.
- ^ Spicer 2002, p. 116.
- ^ Milne, Tom. "The Spiral Staircase". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on August 8, 2018.
- ^ "The 19th Academy Awards | 1947". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022.
- ^ a b Hunter, Fred (October 14, 2005). "The Spiral Staircase - The 1946 version on DVD". Turner Classic Movies. Movie News. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023.
- ^ "DVD Preview: What's in the Pipeline". Billboard. July 15, 2000. p. 78 – via Google Books.
- OCLC 1055205674.
- ^ Nixon, Rob. "Pop Culture 101: The Spiral Staircase". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
Sources
- Alpi, Deborah Lazaroff (1998). Robert Siodmak: A Biography, with Critical Analyses of His Films Noirs and a Filmography of All His Works. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-40489-6.
- Commire, Anne (2000). Women in World History. Vol. 10. Gale. ISBN 978-0-787-64069-9.
- Golden, Anne (2015). "Robert Siodmak's The Spiral Staircase: Horror Genre Hybridity, Vertical Alterity, and the Avant-Garde". In DeGiglio-Bellemare, Marion; Ellbé, Charlie; Woofter, Kristopher (eds.). Recovering 1940s Horror Cinema: Traces of a Lost Decade. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. pp. 90–107. ISBN 978-1-498-50380-8.
- Hutchings, Peter (2009). The A to Z of Horror Cinema. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-810-87050-5.
- Hutchings, Peter (2017). Historical Dictionary of Horror Cinema. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecroew Press. ISBN 978-1-538-10244-2.
- Jewell, Richard; Harbin, Vernon (1985). The RKO Story. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House. ISBN 978-0-517-54656-7.
- Kabatchnik, Amnon (2010). Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection: An Annotated Repertoire. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-810-86963-9.
- ISBN 978-1-250-03357-4.
- Lawrence, Amy (1991). Echo and Narcissus: Women's Voices in Classical Hollywood Cinema. Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-07082-0.
- Olney, Ian (2015). "Dead Zone: Genre, Gender, and the "Lost Decade" of Horror Cinema, 1946–1956". In DeGiglio-Bellemare, Marion; Ellbé, Charlie; Woofter, Kristopher (eds.). Recovering 1940s Horror Cinema: Traces of a Lost Decade. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. pp. 47–67. ISBN 978-1-498-50380-8.
- Pitts, Michael R. (2015). RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929-1956. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-46047-2.
- Spicer, Andrew (2002). Film Noir. Inside Film. London: Longman/Pearson Education. ISBN 978-0-582-43712-8.
- ISBN 978-1-848-58454-9.
External links
- The Spiral Staircase at the American Film Institute Catalog
- The Spiral Staircase at IMDb
- The Spiral Staircase at AllMovie
- The Spiral Staircase at the TCM Movie Database
- The Spiral Staircase on the Screen Directors Playhouse (November 25, 1949) at the Internet Archive