It makes no compromise with the shocking facts as presented in the novel. The result is a drama that builds to a fever pitch of tension and holds itself there with superlative artistry.

It's entertaining enough in a hysterical sort of way, even if it never matches up to the excesses of Fuller's later Shock Corridor.

This powerful film packs such a dramatic wallop that I don't recommend it to highly nervous or emotionally excitable people.

Occasionally, a picture comes along so powerful in its impact that it leaves you gasping. The Snake Pit, taken from the novel of writer Mary Jane Ward, belongs in that category.