Kim Hunter in her first film role plays Mary Gibson , an ingenue fresh out of school due to her wealthy sister Jaqueline ceasing to pay her fees and going incommunicado. Mary goes to New York to find out what has happened and encounters a shadowy world of deceit, murder and a secret occult society.
Contemporary critics were rather baffled by it and it's undoubtedly overambitious ; the aim of the writers to give even the minor characters some psychological depth takes precedence over a smooth narrative flow and some important events go unexplained. Nevertheless it remains gripping down to its ultra-bleak ending.
Kim Hunter ( as Mary Gibson )
Sex : She's in a very creepy shower scene but only from the shoulder blades up
Death : Survives
Kim was originally Janice Cole from Detroit. Her star quickly rose after this and she starred with David Niven in A Matter of Life and Death in 1946. She won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1951 for A Streetcar Named Desire but thereafter fell foul of McCarthy. She successfully resumed her career on TV in the late fifties then enjoyed another burst of fame playing Dr Zira in the first three films in the Planet of the Apes franchise. She died in 2002 aged 79.
Jean Brooks ( as Jacqueline Gibson )
Sex : No
Death : Commits suicide by hanging
We've already met Jean in The Crime of Dr Crespi when she was known as Jeanne Kelly. She's only really in the last quarter of the film but makes a big impression.
Isabel Jewell ( as Frances )
Sex : Although Frances mentions a boyfriend, there are strong hints she's attracted to both sisters
Death : Survives
Isabel was an experienced actress who usually played trashy women, most notably in Gone With The Wind. Her film career had petered out by the end of the forties but she was busy on TV in the fifties and was still acting up to her death in 1972 aged 64.
Elisabeth Russsell ( as Mimi )
Sex : No
Death : Mimi claims to be dying but she's still alive at the film's close.
Elisabeth's role here is only a cameo but it's a memorable one.
Marianne Mosner ( as Miss Rowan )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Marianne was born in Germany and had a very brief acting career in the early forties. She was much more successful writing for TV with credits spanning 20 years. She died in 1988 aged 76.
Joan Barclay ( as Gladys )
Sex : She hints at some debauchery with Jacqueline
Death : Survives
Joan was also in The Corpse Vanishes .
Eve March ( as Miss Gilchrist )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Eve was a bit part actress from Fresno. She died in 1974 aged 63.
Sarah Selby ( as Miss Gottschalk )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Sarah was only a bit part actress in films but had over 100 TV credits on her death in 1980 aged 74.
Ann Summers ( as Ward's Secretary )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Ann was another bit part actress who went over to TV. In her case she left acting in the mid-fifties but was active again in the four years before her death in 1974 aged 54.
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