michellek10

In spite of the title, this film is more of a psychological thriller than a horror flick. It never delivers on the title character, and by the end the whole premise doesn't really hold up. I guessed the plot line in the first ten minutes, and I'm usually not even very good at that sort of thing. This could have been a better film if the director had taken more chances to push the horror element and added some much-needed plot twists or red herrings. On the plus side, June Lockhart makes a very credible scared young woman, and the print I watched was clear, crisp and in good shape, not muddy like a lot of older pictures.

How you feel about this film will depend on how much a fan you are of Bob Fosse's signature choreography style. If all the dance sequences were stripped out of the film, it would be a real dog. In my opinion Shirley MacLaine was terribly miscast; at 35, she seems way too old for the wide-eyed innocence and naïveté of her character, especially after having played more knowing, cynical characters in films like The Apartment. I also think that Ricardo Montalban's character strikes the wrong note. He seems too nice, and the obvious subtext that he only has Charity up to his apartment to get her in bed is glossed over. Another disconnect for me is in the dialogue. Charity is supposed to have had a rough life and a fourth-grade education yet she speaks in proper English. As a first-time director, Fosse used a lot of gimmicks, such as zoom-ins, stills (which really date the film, and stop the action cold) and cheesy camera effects. A bigger failure was in editing. Many of the songs go on long after you've lost interest. What saves this film and makes it worth watching are some really terrific dance sequences. The best is "Hey Big Spender" which gives us a preview of the way Cabaret was styled, and the nightclub dance number, which is witty, innovative and lots of fun to watch.