What some people won't give up to get the big story. When that story involves murder, it can lead to madness. This film gives the tagline, "Whom God intends to destroy, he first drives mad". I am not sure I agree with that analogy, but some being is definitely out to drive reporter Peter Breck mad as well as the sad creatures he ends up surrounded by when he enters a mental institution to discover the truth about this unsolved crime. This is the type of film that at times appears to be one giant metaphor, and in the case of this low-budget psychological thriller that took film noir into a new direction, that metaphor leaves you with a lot of head scratching. In spite of all that, you can't take your eyes off of the screen.
For example, just what is the relationship between Breck and the beautiful exotic dancer (Constance Towers) who may or may not be his sister? He claims to psychiatrist Phillip Ahn that they are indeed siblings, but their relationship is definitely not brother and sisterly. Enough clues are revealed to tell the truth, but the fact that this key plot point was utilized in the first place puts a rather creepy feeling into the story.
This was a change of pace for the gorgeous Ms. Towers who had played only corseted heroines and was moving into the Broadway musical stage at this point. To see the very sophisticated Mrs. John Gavin in almost next to nothing is shocking in itself, especially if you first remember her, as I did, as the sweet Clarissa McCandless on the daytime soap "Capitol". Of course, I went into complete shock years after that when she began her long-running role as the throat-slicing Helena Cassadine on "General Hospital", so this shows how, as a young actress, she wanted to explore a variety of parts, no matter how racy or crazy the characters were. See her other Samuel Fuller directed film noir, the steamy "The Naked Kiss" for another side of this gorgeous lady.
While the plot takes a while to unfold, it is filled with details of the various types of characters one might encounter in an old fashioned mental institution. Most shocking is the grossly overweight killer who can't get enough to eat, and somewhat controversial is the black patient who has somehow come to believe that he is white and a supremacist to boot. When the black patient starts a chase of another black inmate, obviously planning a lynching, you might find yourself open-mouthed in shock because it truly is unbelievable.
This isn't a film that I think I could watch over and over again. It is definitely extremely spooky to watch, and in this day and age where mental institutions pretty much no longer exist (except for the criminally insane), it makes you look at how times haven't helped people with mental issues, only left them lacking in the type of care they need. Of course, we'll never be back to the type of institutions which film audiences got to explore through "Bedlam", "The Snake Pit" and "The Caretakers" (although this one makes those films look tame in comparison), but these films remind us of how our society has gone from one extreme to another where nothing is done, even if the evil of past treatments no longer exist as well.
For example, just what is the relationship between Breck and the beautiful exotic dancer (Constance Towers) who may or may not be his sister? He claims to psychiatrist Phillip Ahn that they are indeed siblings, but their relationship is definitely not brother and sisterly. Enough clues are revealed to tell the truth, but the fact that this key plot point was utilized in the first place puts a rather creepy feeling into the story.
This was a change of pace for the gorgeous Ms. Towers who had played only corseted heroines and was moving into the Broadway musical stage at this point. To see the very sophisticated Mrs. John Gavin in almost next to nothing is shocking in itself, especially if you first remember her, as I did, as the sweet Clarissa McCandless on the daytime soap "Capitol". Of course, I went into complete shock years after that when she began her long-running role as the throat-slicing Helena Cassadine on "General Hospital", so this shows how, as a young actress, she wanted to explore a variety of parts, no matter how racy or crazy the characters were. See her other Samuel Fuller directed film noir, the steamy "The Naked Kiss" for another side of this gorgeous lady.
While the plot takes a while to unfold, it is filled with details of the various types of characters one might encounter in an old fashioned mental institution. Most shocking is the grossly overweight killer who can't get enough to eat, and somewhat controversial is the black patient who has somehow come to believe that he is white and a supremacist to boot. When the black patient starts a chase of another black inmate, obviously planning a lynching, you might find yourself open-mouthed in shock because it truly is unbelievable.
This isn't a film that I think I could watch over and over again. It is definitely extremely spooky to watch, and in this day and age where mental institutions pretty much no longer exist (except for the criminally insane), it makes you look at how times haven't helped people with mental issues, only left them lacking in the type of care they need. Of course, we'll never be back to the type of institutions which film audiences got to explore through "Bedlam", "The Snake Pit" and "The Caretakers" (although this one makes those films look tame in comparison), but these films remind us of how our society has gone from one extreme to another where nothing is done, even if the evil of past treatments no longer exist as well.