A young woman (Kim Hunter) in search of her missing sister (Jean Brooks) uncovers a Satanic cult in New York's Greenwich Village, and finds that they may have something to do with her sibling's random disappearance.
Purported homosexual undercurrents run through the film and it has a generally dreadful story without the happiness that should accompany a film of its era. Today's audiences may not fully appreciate the darkness or the subtle sexual messages, but they are there and brilliant.
This is one you need to see repeatedly to really get the depth and beauty. Lewton had a unique way to approach horror. He was given titles by the studio and was forced to make movies somehow related to the titles. Well, he did not go for the in-your-face horror. Even here, with a Satanic cult, it is not as obvious as we might see today.
Purported homosexual undercurrents run through the film and it has a generally dreadful story without the happiness that should accompany a film of its era. Today's audiences may not fully appreciate the darkness or the subtle sexual messages, but they are there and brilliant.
This is one you need to see repeatedly to really get the depth and beauty. Lewton had a unique way to approach horror. He was given titles by the studio and was forced to make movies somehow related to the titles. Well, he did not go for the in-your-face horror. Even here, with a Satanic cult, it is not as obvious as we might see today.