The Spiral Staircase (1975)

Even the actors looked bored,  29 October 2019

I really can’t be bothered to write my own plot summary for The Spiral Staircase.  It’s just not worth it. Instead, here’s the IMDb plot summary: “Helen has been incapable of speech since seeing her husband die - will she become the target of a deranged serial killer targeting disabled people?”

The Spiral Staircase really shouldn’t be this bad.  It features a fairly strong cast (including Christopher Plummer and Jacqueline Bisset), a director capable of making a solid film (see Peter Collinson’s The Italian Job), a nice set, some promising plot ideas, and what I’m going to guess was a decent sized budget.  But, unfortunately, nothing works.  

The main problem I had was with the plot - it’s a disaster.  First, there are absolutely no surprises if you’re paying the least bit of attention.  The killer all but announces himself early on. As I watched, I thought there must be a twist near the end - it couldn’t be that obvious.  But, no, I was wrong - it really is that obvious. Second, the plot is terribly dull. Director Collinson drags us from one deathly dull scene to the next.  And he’s filled the film with pointless plot threads that go nowhere other than adding minutes to the run-time. There’s no life or excitement anywhere. You can see the boredom etched on the actors’ faces.  There are scenes where Bisset looks about as bored as I was. Third, there are numerous inconsistencies in the plot. Take Gayle Hunnicutt’s Blanche with her over-the-top Southern accent. Instead of a mystery/thriller, Blanche seems to be in her own Southern Gothic romance.  Or take the death of the caretaker. He’s killed in a driving, gully-washing rainstorm, yet our killer is perfectly dry the very next time we see him. It’s sloppy film making.  

I’ll stop.  I think I’ve made my point - This version of The Spiral Staircase isn’t worthy of the title.

 3/10