Shock (1946)
Posted on July 19, 2005
Filed Under Black and white, Creepy stuff
Though its status as a horror movie is debatable Shock adds to a long list of psychological thrillers based around the terror of losing ones mental faculties so I deemed it worthy of inclusion here; the version I’ve got came on a ‘Three Classic Horrors of the Silver Screen’ DVD too, which is more than good enough for me.
The film is a very efficient and enjoyable attempt to cover the well-trodden scenario of a sane person being trapped in a mental hospital (Gothika being a recent, poor offering). Our heroine witnesses Dr. Cross (played excellently by Vincent Price) kill his wife in a neighbouring hotel room and faints at the sight, only to be entrusted to the care of the very same Dr. Cross. In order to keep his secret safe Cross must contrive a way of keeping the lady in a state of dementia, and from this premise a number of fairly interesting sub-plots are drawn out.
Though the plot is basic enough there are an adequate number of little twists and turns to keep you interested, and the finale is not as saccharine as it might have been. It is also one of the first times I’ve seen Price do ‘serious’ acting and he puts in a very respectable turn. Shock succeeds a simple (yet not overly so) and enjoyable little movie.
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