There was only one reason I sought out this low-budget noir film--it was directed by Budd Boetticher--a man known for squeezing a lot out of low budgets and simple scripts. And, boy, did this film deliver! This film stars Lucille Bremer and Richard Carlson--not exactly household names today. Bremer's most famous role was the oldest daughter in "Meet Me in St. Louis" and Carlson played many mostly anonymous leading or supporting roles in mostly secondary films but is a name few remember today.
Bremer plays a reporter who is looking for a judge who is on the lam from the law. Her leads suggest he might be hiding in a sanitarium but getting in to find him is a problem. So, he pays a detective (Carlson) to pretend to be insane and get himself admitted to the place in order to prove her theory. A bit implausible but an interesting idea for a film--especially as you wonder what awaits Carlson.
Once Carlson is admitted to the place, it's pretty obvious that the staff is amazingly cruel or indifferent towards the patients. Patients are routinely beaten and the place is dreadful. You also get to see that the Judge IS hiding out there--but not in a part of the hospital that Carlson has access to, so through much of the film he's unsure about this. So, he tries repeatedly to sneak into the locked unit but to no avail. Will he be able to find the fugitive or will he lose his mind instead?! Or will he be discovered?! The film is a lot like the Olivia DeHavilland film, "The Snake Pit"--but this asylum is run by sociopaths who are worse than any of the residents of the place! And, it's also VERY exciting and I am shocked the film is pretty much forgotten today, as it's an excellent noir thriller.
By the way, the child star Dickie Moore appears in a small role as a mute patient. It's a far cry from his starring roles in the 1930s. Also, Tor Johnson (from "Plan 9 From Outer Space", "The Beast of Yucca Flats" and other cheesy films) makes a small appearance as a violent maniac kept locked in a cell throughout the movie--or at least most of the movie.
Bremer plays a reporter who is looking for a judge who is on the lam from the law. Her leads suggest he might be hiding in a sanitarium but getting in to find him is a problem. So, he pays a detective (Carlson) to pretend to be insane and get himself admitted to the place in order to prove her theory. A bit implausible but an interesting idea for a film--especially as you wonder what awaits Carlson.
Once Carlson is admitted to the place, it's pretty obvious that the staff is amazingly cruel or indifferent towards the patients. Patients are routinely beaten and the place is dreadful. You also get to see that the Judge IS hiding out there--but not in a part of the hospital that Carlson has access to, so through much of the film he's unsure about this. So, he tries repeatedly to sneak into the locked unit but to no avail. Will he be able to find the fugitive or will he lose his mind instead?! Or will he be discovered?! The film is a lot like the Olivia DeHavilland film, "The Snake Pit"--but this asylum is run by sociopaths who are worse than any of the residents of the place! And, it's also VERY exciting and I am shocked the film is pretty much forgotten today, as it's an excellent noir thriller.
By the way, the child star Dickie Moore appears in a small role as a mute patient. It's a far cry from his starring roles in the 1930s. Also, Tor Johnson (from "Plan 9 From Outer Space", "The Beast of Yucca Flats" and other cheesy films) makes a small appearance as a violent maniac kept locked in a cell throughout the movie--or at least most of the movie.