To be completely honest, I do not know if a movie with themes as sinister and overt as "Cape Fear" could be made in Hollywood today. Yet, amazingly, it was released in 1962, only adding to the creepiness factor of the overall movie experience (I cannot imagine the reaction of theater- goers to this in the early 60s!).For a basic plot summary, "Cape Fear" tells the story of Max Cady (Robert Mitchum), a just- released prisoner who blames lawyer Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck) for his time in the slammer. Thus, Cady decides to hound Sam, wife Peggy (Polly Bergen), and daughter Nancy (Lori Martin), threatening them with a sinister type of violence that only a man with his criminal past can threaten. Cady is careful to work inside the law however, so not even the town police chief (Martin Balsam) or a private investigator (Telly Savalas) can stop him.Without any beating around the bush, this movie is a classic because of Robert Mitchum as Cady. From the first time you see him on screen, you know that he is a slime-ball among the worst of all-time cinema villains. Just the way he swaggers around combined with his accent makes you instantly aware that this is a man to be feared.Of course, that character only truly works against Mr. straight-laced himself, Peck. Though you can read my review for the '91 "Cape Fear" to discover all that was wrong (or average) about that film, the main thing is that they went away from Peck's family representing, well, the innocence of family. In order for Cady to truly strike fear into us, he has to be attacking something we hold dear...that being the notion of family. Sam's family is the epitome of that innocence (shaggy dog, teenage daughter, white picket fence, etc.).The themes in this movie are quite brutal, dealing with violence, rape, pedophilia, and the limitations of the law. Yet, the film is not overtly violent. It is much more of a psychological-type humor, not anything too graphic. That's not saying, however, that you won't be utterly terrified at certain points...because you will.Overall, "Cape Fear" is one of my favorite psychological thrillers of all-time! It has incredible acting, deep suspense, and themes that hold up as well today as they did in 1962. If you have watched the '91 version, you've only gotten the "gist" of things. Watch this for the REAL terror.

Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck) is a southern defense lawyer. Max Cady (Robert Mitchum) gets out of prison after spending over 8 years for an attack on a young woman after Bowden intervened and testified against him. Cady starts harassing Sam, his wife Peggy and young daughter Nancy. Sam's friend police chief Mark Dutton (Martin Balsam) is powerless to stop him. On Mark's suggestion, Sam hires private detective Charlie Sievers (Telly Savalas). He can't get rid of his stalker culminating in a life-and-death struggle.Director J. Lee Thompson is able to bring a Hitchcockian style to the movie. Robert Mitchum is great at being creepy. It's a tense crime drama from start to finish. Gregory Peck is the proper gentleman being pushed to the limits. It has a steady dark tone that is unrelenting with a constant sinister dramatic score.

A lawyer (Gregory Peck)'s family is stalked by a man (Robert Mitchum) he once helped put in jail.This may be one of the greatest thrillers of all time. And why not? You have Mitchum, who is great at playing dark and evil characters. This one is by far his darkest and most evil. And then you have Gregory Peck, who is best known for playing upstanding citizens, most notably Atticus Finch. So seeing him as the hero is easy.And then you have a story that goes above and beyond. This was 1962, and movies were relatively tame by the standards of today (2015). But not this one. Threats of murder, blackmail, rape... this is a vicious movie that is legitimately scary, and not in the campy way that a lot of early thrillers now are.

I have seen the 1991 remake of this on a number of occasions and so was interested to see how it fared against the original. Whilst not as violent or glossy as the remake this is a superior film due mainly to the acting ability of the cast. Robert Mitchum was a superb actor and genuinely chilling in this as the psychopathic Max Cady who wages war on the man who sent him down. Gregory Peck is a bit wooden but Polly Bergen is good as the mom and I preferred the more vulnerable Lori Martin to Juliette Lewis's 1991 version of the daughter. It's even got Terry Savalas in it for good measure. It is pretty much the same plot as the remake so you will know what's coming but this still manages to be an entertaining and tense ride from start to finish.