Yes, it's a film noir about a boy witnessing a murder but the scariest part of this movie is how it stands up as a sign of the times in 1949 and how children were treated. The parents have no qualms about leaving their nine-year-old all night, the murderous neighbour actually punches the kid unconscious at one point, and the cop actually advocates giving him a beating.
Contrast it with modern children-in-peril movies like Home Alone and you'll see, though it's not a great movie, it's a real historical marker. It is helped by the fact that the doomed child actor Bobby Driscoll is such a great little actor.
I think it's worth a watch. It's a thriller but not for the reasons it was originally made.
Contrast it with modern children-in-peril movies like Home Alone and you'll see, though it's not a great movie, it's a real historical marker. It is helped by the fact that the doomed child actor Bobby Driscoll is such a great little actor.
I think it's worth a watch. It's a thriller but not for the reasons it was originally made.