With Barrymore seemingly so sure of herself it just isn't convincing that she crumbles so quickly under the genteel home invaders. The set up is quite good but once they supposedly have her under their control there are too many ways she could escape, and yet never does, that it loses reality. There are also too many characters who have to vanish, like the young daughter and even a baby, in order for the plot to work.Evans is good but the stand out is Wynn--very convincing as a heavy and as a Brit. Good score, and carefully placed as well--though the otherwise good print shown on TCM has a distracting warble to the soundtrack that distorts the music.Sturges direction is slick, but he's no Hitchcock. One off camera death is nicely done and the film keeps moving despite limited locations it doesn't feel dull, nor does it bristle with excitement.But the unbalanced script can't convince us the jeopardy is real despite good acting all around. Perhaps the original play worked better.

I think this is one of the creepiest thrillers you will find from the 1940s-1950s. And why? Because it shows how fragile every day life can be when just one little occurrence can bring one's life tumbling down! While it is an excellent story, it's the cast that makes it shine. There was always something special about Ethel Barrymore in a film, and here she really shines! I won't say it's her best film role (that may be "Pinky"), but this is so very good. I was never very impressed with Maurice Evans; he probably thought more of himself than others thought of him, in terms of acting. But he does very nicely here as the villain...not overplaying it, which some actors might have done. This is not a very impressive role for Angela Lansbury, but she's good in it as another of the thieves. Likewise, Keenan Wynn does nicely as another thief, not overplaying the role at all, but just being slightly menacing. John Williams to the rescue! A venerable character actor who never disappoints. Doris Lloyd is pleasant as the servant.This is a neat thriller, a bit chilling in an old-fashioned way, and worth the mere 77 minutes of screen time! It's a gem.

A kindly old dowager takes a penniless artist into her lavish household, only to find out he's got his own plans.For a filmed stage play, the movie surprisingly never drags. That's a tribute to a tight screenplay and excellent staging. For example, catch how director Sturges in the first confrontation scene positions the four intruders in the foreground so they appear now to loom over the exasperated old lady (Barrymore), symbolizing their gradual reversal of authority. Then too, Sturges has basically only a single set to dramatize with, a real staging challenge.However, the movie really belongs to the mild-looking Evans (Elcott) who manages an effortless study in civilized evil. His manipulations are so understated that his malignant nature sort of creeps up on you. It's one of the slyer incarnations in the history of bad guys. And get a load of the Edwards family, with the shrill Lansbury, the hulking Wynn, and the bratty Aggie. They're household help from heck, and we know Barrymore's in big trouble when this British version of The Beverly Hillbillies walk in the door. Anyway, the tension stays on high as we feel trapped along with the kind lady. All in all, the movie's a minor gem of claustrophobic suspense.

At the outset, I must point out that this movie is very similar to the later movie, THE SERVANT, starring Dirk Bogarde. Both concern a person bringing someone into their homes who turns out to be an evil sociopath who threatens and dominates and exploits the master of the house.In this film, sweet old Ethel Barrymore lives alone in a big house. She meets a struggling artist (Maurice Evens) and naively offers to let him stay with her until he becomes an established artist. However, over time, it becomes more and more obvious that Evans is much more interested in Barrymore's fortune and invites in a group of "caretakers" to lock away the old lady as they loot her estate.The acting is superb and the movie is genuinely scary and well made. A wonderful old film that is rarely seen today.