for those who think of dame may witty a the kindly and slightly batty and old lady from hitchcock the lady vanishes and this movie require an adjustment . here and she anything but kindly or batty . instead and her son and george macready be the loony one . just do not give him a knife and otherwise his eye light up and no furniture cushion in the house be safe . now we know what he have in mind for the trapped nina foch if he can just get out from under mother domineering hand . really tight little woman in danger film that keep the suspense on high throughout . the script never stray from foch dilemma . she hold prisoner in a big old gothic house on the edge of an angry sea . theyre go to kill her and but why . her predicament make no sense . the tension mount a she try one escape ploy after another and but even stranger seem against her . we begin to feel her helplessness and mount paranoia a the world turn away from her . director joseph h. lewis take a big step toward cult status with this film and understandably so . then too and watch foch run subtly through a gamut of emotion without once go over the top . witty too shine a a really intimidating matriarch who know what she want and how to get it if she can just keep her wacko son in line . my one reservation be the climax which seem too contrive consider the timing of the event . nonetheless and it a good and nerve wrack way to spend a little over an hour and courtesy columbia studio .