an intriguing and compel script on mental illness keep the audience guessing and with possessed and star joan crawford and van heflin and and raymond massey . not exactly a cast make up of sublimely beautiful people . positive . i think this film more realistic compare to the snake pit and other similar film explore this topic and since the story build so slowly here and and joan character appear normal in the beginning . a brief love affair with heflin character and who unceremoniously drop her when he get bored with her and be the catalyst that put her obsessive schizophrenia in gear . back and forth she go between reality and fantasy and until a crime of murder be commit and she become catatonic . joan crawford state she have to work harder on this film than on any other and but with what we know about her personal life today and we really have to wonder if she do have to work that hard at all . she do seem to me to be an obsessive and jealous personality in real life and so how be this part a big stretch for her . a word on heflin . what a cad he play in this film while joan character be almost justify in do what she do to him and because it be obvious he be go to marry her step daughter out of spite and greed . it doesn not matter that heflin wasn not the best look fellow in the world and but he play his part expertly here and and have some of the best line in the picture . i be not a big fan of joan crawford and but find myself hook watch this film after about 20 minute . a multi layer and memorable performance from the queen of the hanger .