Harrington, who would go on to be known as an ideological successor of George Cukor due to his ability to work with a host of egotistical divas throughout his exciting career, proved to possess an exciting flair for genre even from this first effort.

The dialogue is perfunctory, and both Hopper and his love interest seem to drop each line with a clunk...

This mythological horror explores how far a person will go to ensure they remain connected to those for whom they care deeply, even to wildly unhealthy and dangerous lengths.

The film is so deftly crafted ... that the creaks in the screenplay don't show too glaringly.