Another re-make disaster from a worn out industry. It is the social distance and the hermetically sealed emotional barriers between the characters which are the mainspring of the 1940s version. Sets, characterization and nuanced performance combine with eerie music and special effects to make the original movie work. In this version, there is some spooky music but the camera dwells on deep cleavages and luxury goods, suntans and landscape gardens. The performances are mediocre and the only 'electricity' produced is from a generator which mysteriously fails during a storm. The creaking woodwork gives a more convincing performance than the leads who all seem to speak their lines by numbers: "do you (2-3) want to (2-3) speak again..." There is an attempt to make a Freudian analysis of the situation which also appears to come from some sort of 'Freud for Dummies' manual. The original and the seventies re-make are both available on DVD- why not spend the time you might have wasted on this turkey going out to find a copy instead!
Review of The Spiral Staircase
