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Behind Locked Doors (1948)
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Murder Was The Only Way Out!
A shadowy sanitarium provides the claustrophobic stage for sadism, paranoia and murder in this classic film noir from director Budd Boetticher (The Killer Is Loose, Comanche Station).
In a plot that clearly foreshadowed Sam Fuller's Shock Corridor, private detective Ross Stewart (Richard Carlson) checks himself into a mental hospital in an attempt to locate a corrupt judge hiding from justice.But before Stewart can reveal the truth, his true identity is discovered and he becomes a victim of his own ruse.With the help of a deranged punch-drunk ex-prizefighter (Tor Johnson of Plan 9 From Outer Space), the doctors at La Siesta Sanitarium concoct a plan to make Stewart a permanent resident.And the only person who shares Stewart's secret, the only one who can rescue him from certain death, is the scheming woman who sent him there. (Lucille Bremer).
A bare-bones low-budget thriller from Hollywood's "Poverty Row", Behind Locked Doors cleverly compensates for is budgetary limitations by bathing its set in darkness.This visual spareness is perfectly suited to Boetticher's terse, hard-edged style, making the film a nightmarish ride through the halls of insanity and an ingenious , effective example of American film noir.
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