A young woman stays in a hotel room, anxiously awaiting the arrival of her much-beloved husband. During the wait, she happens to witness a quarrel devolving in manslaughter. It results in a nasty psychological shock. The poor woman is carted off to a mental institution, but it's a case of "out of the frying pan, into the fire"...
A large part of "Shock" is set in a psychiatric environment. As a modern viewer, one can but shake one's head in dismay at some of the medical treatments used in the 1940's.
"Shock" misses the "je ne sais quoi" that would lift it up to classics level, but it's still a suspenseful and enjoyable thriller. The movie derives much of its power from the idea of doctors or nurses turning on their patients, in a clear inversion of social values and expectations. There is something about such a callous abuse of trust that makes even the thickest skin crawl. Here, the two scheming villains are suitably sinister. Of the pair, the palm probably goes to Vincent Price - still very young and devoid of moustache - whose suavely disquieting performance predicts his later success in the horror genre.
The plot illustrates a sad truth : once people have decided you're mad anything you say, however valid and accurate, will be interpreted as further proof of your madness.
A large part of "Shock" is set in a psychiatric environment. As a modern viewer, one can but shake one's head in dismay at some of the medical treatments used in the 1940's.
"Shock" misses the "je ne sais quoi" that would lift it up to classics level, but it's still a suspenseful and enjoyable thriller. The movie derives much of its power from the idea of doctors or nurses turning on their patients, in a clear inversion of social values and expectations. There is something about such a callous abuse of trust that makes even the thickest skin crawl. Here, the two scheming villains are suitably sinister. Of the pair, the palm probably goes to Vincent Price - still very young and devoid of moustache - whose suavely disquieting performance predicts his later success in the horror genre.
The plot illustrates a sad truth : once people have decided you're mad anything you say, however valid and accurate, will be interpreted as further proof of your madness.