Behind Locked Doors ( 1948 )

Murder Was The Only Way Out!

A shadowy sanitarium provides the claustrophobic stage for sadism, paranoia and murder in this classic film noir from director Budd Boetticher (The Killer Is Loose, Comanche Station).

In a plot that clearly foreshadowed Sam Fuller´s Shock Corridor, private detective Ross Stewart (Richard Carlson) checks himself into a mental hospital in an attempt to locate a corrupt judge hiding from justice. But before Stewart can reveal the truth, his true identity is discovered and he becomes a victim of his own ruse. With the help of a deranged punch-drunk ex-prizefighter (Tor Johnson of Plan 9 From Outer Space), the doctors at La Siesta Sanitarium concoct a plan to make Stewart a permanent resident. And the only person who shares Stewart´s secret, the only one who can rescue him from certain death, is the scheming woman who sent him there. (Lucille Bremer).

A bare-bones low-budget thriller from Hollywood´s "Poverty Row", Behind Locked Doors cleverly compensates for is budgetary limitations by bathing its set in darkness. This visual spareness is perfectly suited to Boetticher´s terse, hard-edged style, making the film a nightmarish ride through the halls of insanity and an ingenious , effective example of American film noir.

Upplagd i sortimentet: 19 Maj, 2006