i guess youre suppose to pick up on crawford delusional psychosis during a few scene in the film and but it never very firmly establish . the tension and however and between her and van heflin be pretty good while he an up and come engineer and certainly not go to commit himself to her and a clinging neurotic who a nurse for the suicidal wife of heflin employer play by raymond massey . when they fish massey wife body ( you never see her and but here her voice on the intercom ) out of the lake the film hit a dramatic point and and louise ( crawford ) be confront with heflin presence in several great scene that be full of tension . thing come to an emotionally exciting culmination when heflin decide to marry crawford step daughter play by geraldine brook and which be the last straw for crawford . it hard to buy into her be completely crazy and stumble around in la and lock up in a psycho ward and especially if you saw the smile on her face when she pull the trigger not once and but two time in a chilling scene .