The Spiral Staircase

A psychopath holds an early 20th-century New England town in his thrall when he begins murdering girls suffering from any slight handicap. A naive mute woman caring for an elderly invalid in an isolated house becomes increasingly convinced she might be the killer's next target - and as a storm rages outside, she finds herself in a terrifying battle for her life. Superbly atmospheric thriller, with Dorothy McGuire giving an unforgettable performance as the frightened victim, alongside George Brent, Kent Smith, Elsa Lanchester and Ethel Barrymore, who scored an Oscar nomination for her trouble