IMDb > The Spiral Staircase (1945)
The Spiral Staircase
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The Spiral Staircase (1945) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 2)
The Spiral Staircase (1945) -- A serial killer (circa 1916) is targeting women with 'afflictions'; one night during a thunderstorm, mute Helen feels menaced...
The Spiral Staircase (1945) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   2,884 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Robert Siodmak

Writers:

Ethel Lina White (novel)
Mel Dinelli (writer)

Contact:

View company contact information for The Spiral Staircase on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

December 1945 (USA) more

Plot:

A serial killer (circa 1916) is targeting women with 'afflictions'; one night during a thunderstorm, mute Helen feels menaced... full summary | add synopsis

Plot Keywords:

more

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. more

NewsDesk:

50 Influential Scream Queens: Part 2
 (From Fangoria. 27 October 2009, 10:57 PM, PDT)

User Comments:

Riveting Masterpiece more (75 total)


Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Dorothy McGuire ... Helen Capel
George Brent ... Professor Warren
Ethel Barrymore ... Mrs. Warren
Kent Smith ... Dr. Parry

Rhonda Fleming ... Blanche
Gordon Oliver ... Steve Warren

Elsa Lanchester ... Mrs. Oates
Sara Allgood ... Nurse Barker

Rhys Williams ... Mr. Oates
James Bell ... Constable
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Additional Details

Also Known As:

Silence of Helen McCord (USA) (working title)
Some Must Watch (USA) (working title)
more

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | UK:A (original rating) (1946) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (re-rating) (2004) | USA:Unrated


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

While this film was based on Ethel Lina White's 1933 novel "Some Must Watch," there are several major differences. In the novel, the maid stalked by the killer was crippled, not mute. It was also set in contemporary England, not early 1900's New England. Finally, the title of the film and the idea of incorporating a "spiral staircase" as a thematic element comes from another source entirely: Mary Roberts Rinehart's 1908 novel "The Circular Staircase." more

Goofs:

Continuity: As the projectionist hand cranks the projector which is on a shaky tripod, the projector wobbles noticeably but the image on the screen is steady. more

Quotes:

Constable: She's dead!
Dr. Parry: Well, in that case, Constable, I certainly can't do her any harm.
more

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Black Stallion (1979) more

Soundtrack:

Waltz Op. 34 No. 2 in A minor more


FAQ

What were Helen's first words?
Where is this movie supposed to be set?
Is "The Spiral Staircase" based on a novel?
more
26 out of 36 people found the following comment useful.
Riveting Masterpiece, 23 June 2003
9/10
Author: Niv-1 from Valley Stream, New York

The Spiral Staircase is an excellent film.

Dorothy McGuire gives a great performance as a mute woman in a town where disabled women are being killed, I think she deserved an Oscar nomination. She does a lot of emoting with her eyes and her body language.

The technical aspects of this film are amazing. The score is extremely creepy, the camera work is excellent, and the main set is well designed. There are some extreme close-ups of an eye that are very spooky.

This is a movie that Alfred Hitchcock would have made. There is a long and extremely affecting dream sequence that is riveting. Elsa Lanchester is very good as servant, and Ethel Barrymore deserved her Oscar nomination for playing the employer of the mute woman.

An excellent movie that is a must see.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (75 total)

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