There are two ways to react to the twist ending of this low-budget thriller. You either love it or hate it. If you're sucker for a roguish surprise -- as I am -- you'll thoroughly enjoy it. At the risk of having to check the "spoiler" box, I will say no more. While the movie was apparently made in Hollywood, the cast is largely British -- Frieda Inescort as the hysterical proprietress of a London B&B, Miles Mander as her hapless husband, Paul Cavanagh as a tenant sweating out delivery of a dangerous package and Heather Angel as Inescort's daughter, smitten with a mysterious writer. Then there's Turhan Bey as a knife-throwing student from the Far East with a dying assassin hidden under his bed. As tenants vanish and dead bodies pile up, the police keep coming up with the wrong answer. But despite the somewhat stolid direction, stick with it. The ending is too much fun to miss. Unless, of course, you're among those who hate it.
Review of Shadows on the Stairs
