Sunday, September 25, 2011

Shock (1946)




With my appetite for mindless exploitation complete, I decided to dive into something totally different with some classic cinema film noir. My selection for the evening, the 1946 entry, Shock!


Plot/ A psychologically distraught woman is committed to a private sanitarium by the man whom she witnessed commit a murder.


This early Price Thriller is a far cry from the movies that made him a Horror Icon. As usual, Price delivers a solid performance throughout this rather lackluster affair. While the premise is sound (possibly a bit cliché today), the cinematography (even for that time) leaves a bit to be desired, almost trying to imitate the great Alfred Hitchcock’s mastery and wasting an opportunity to create a tremendously dark and atmospheric film. In fact, the flick just seems to plod along even though it featured a great score which did what it could to enhance the mood.  In the end, Prices’ performance is for not in this run-of-the-mill thriller. If you are a fan of the great Vincent Price, check it out once to see young Vincent in action, everyone else, save your 70 minutes for something else.


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