Spooky film about a young woman getting involved with a group of devil worshippers in NYC.
In terms of subject matter this is ahead of its time--it was probably the first film to deal seriously with cults. The film also is the film debut of Kim Hunter (later to win an Oscar for "A Streetcar Named Desire") and has an early performance by Hugh Beaumont (later on "Father Knows Best"). Also Tom Conway was in this and two other top horror films of the 40s--"I Walked With A Zombie" and "Cat People".
This is one of the very low-budget horror films that producer Val Lewton made for RKO in the 1940s. He was given only "B" actors to work with and zero money, but he turned in some true classics. He used darkness and shadow very effectively making some of the creepiest-looking sets on film. Also he NEVER showed anything explicitly--he always kept the monsters or violence off screen and just suggested at it. It works beautifully.
This movie is the least known of all of them (probably because of the subject matter), but it's probably the best one. The plot and themes are handled matter-of-factly and the sets are truly eerie. The performances are all low-key perfectly fitting the script. Even the obligatory love story shoehorned in works. There's also a VERY bizarre shower sequence and a grim ending.
Definitely worth seeing...a must for horror fans. A 10 all the way!
In terms of subject matter this is ahead of its time--it was probably the first film to deal seriously with cults. The film also is the film debut of Kim Hunter (later to win an Oscar for "A Streetcar Named Desire") and has an early performance by Hugh Beaumont (later on "Father Knows Best"). Also Tom Conway was in this and two other top horror films of the 40s--"I Walked With A Zombie" and "Cat People".
This is one of the very low-budget horror films that producer Val Lewton made for RKO in the 1940s. He was given only "B" actors to work with and zero money, but he turned in some true classics. He used darkness and shadow very effectively making some of the creepiest-looking sets on film. Also he NEVER showed anything explicitly--he always kept the monsters or violence off screen and just suggested at it. It works beautifully.
This movie is the least known of all of them (probably because of the subject matter), but it's probably the best one. The plot and themes are handled matter-of-factly and the sets are truly eerie. The performances are all low-key perfectly fitting the script. Even the obligatory love story shoehorned in works. There's also a VERY bizarre shower sequence and a grim ending.
Definitely worth seeing...a must for horror fans. A 10 all the way!