***SPOILERS*** Listless and dull remake of the 1945 spine tingling psychological thriller of the same name "The Spiral Staircase" with the gorgeous, no matter how much she tries to look Plain Jane, Jackie Bissett as Helen Mallory in her first and only non speaking role despite getting top billing in the movie.
When she experienced both her 10 year old daughter and husband killed in a fire five years ago Helen went into shock and ended up losing her voice. With Dr.Rawley, John Ronane, trying to restore Helen's voice he sends her to the prestigious Sherman's Institute for more advanced treatment. As things turn out there's this psycho running around town who's obsessed with culling out those of us in society not worthy or perfect enough to live! This in order for him to create the perfect human, which he feels he is, race by eliminating all its imperfections! This mentally deranged lunatic has had his eye out for Helen in feeling that she's a threat, by being mute, to the advanced evolutionary process of the human race! This nut-case has already murdered five other "inperfect" young women and is now targeting Helen to be his next victim!
As you would imagine the psycho finds his way into the Sherman's Institute in his attempt to murder Helen but, luckily for her, a number of complications arise that makes his job a bit more difficult. One of them is the head of the institute Dr. Joe Sherman, Christopher Plummer, being involved in a three way love affair with his brother Steven, john Philip Law, over the sexy Blanche, Gayle Hunnicutt. This psycho for some weird and insane reason, despite Blanche being about as perfect as any women can be, also feels that Blancheis a drag and burden on he human race, in the air she breaths and food and water that she consumes, in her not being quite perfect enough to be kept alive! There's also Dr. Sherman's diabetic and dying mother Mrs. Sherman, Mildred Dunnock, who this murderous psycho, as a sidelight, also plans to murder. Not that Mrs. Sherman is in his way but because she's, like both Helen & Blanche, not worth living!
***SPOILERS*** Wherever suspense there is in the film is left for last with the killer psycho finally revealing himself, to the total non surprise of those of us watching, and going after a trapped and terrified Helen. The psycho killer who had so many opportunities to murder Helen all throughout the film yet, in him being the "Perfect Human" that he thinks that he is, ended up blowing every one of them. Not much of a surprise ending like the 1945 version of the movie was it still had enough terror and suspense in it to lift "Spiral Staircase II" a notch or two above the dull as dishwater like script that proceeded it.
When she experienced both her 10 year old daughter and husband killed in a fire five years ago Helen went into shock and ended up losing her voice. With Dr.Rawley, John Ronane, trying to restore Helen's voice he sends her to the prestigious Sherman's Institute for more advanced treatment. As things turn out there's this psycho running around town who's obsessed with culling out those of us in society not worthy or perfect enough to live! This in order for him to create the perfect human, which he feels he is, race by eliminating all its imperfections! This mentally deranged lunatic has had his eye out for Helen in feeling that she's a threat, by being mute, to the advanced evolutionary process of the human race! This nut-case has already murdered five other "inperfect" young women and is now targeting Helen to be his next victim!
As you would imagine the psycho finds his way into the Sherman's Institute in his attempt to murder Helen but, luckily for her, a number of complications arise that makes his job a bit more difficult. One of them is the head of the institute Dr. Joe Sherman, Christopher Plummer, being involved in a three way love affair with his brother Steven, john Philip Law, over the sexy Blanche, Gayle Hunnicutt. This psycho for some weird and insane reason, despite Blanche being about as perfect as any women can be, also feels that Blancheis a drag and burden on he human race, in the air she breaths and food and water that she consumes, in her not being quite perfect enough to be kept alive! There's also Dr. Sherman's diabetic and dying mother Mrs. Sherman, Mildred Dunnock, who this murderous psycho, as a sidelight, also plans to murder. Not that Mrs. Sherman is in his way but because she's, like both Helen & Blanche, not worth living!
***SPOILERS*** Wherever suspense there is in the film is left for last with the killer psycho finally revealing himself, to the total non surprise of those of us watching, and going after a trapped and terrified Helen. The psycho killer who had so many opportunities to murder Helen all throughout the film yet, in him being the "Perfect Human" that he thinks that he is, ended up blowing every one of them. Not much of a surprise ending like the 1945 version of the movie was it still had enough terror and suspense in it to lift "Spiral Staircase II" a notch or two above the dull as dishwater like script that proceeded it.