***SPOILERS*** Far too deep in the subject of criminal psychology this overly complicated film about murder and insanity revolves around the not too wrapped tight and beautiful Allida Bederaux played, who was considered the most beautiful woman in the world at that time, by the drop dead gorgeous Hedy Lammar. It's Allida who feels that her crazy and carpet chewing husband Nick, Paul Lukas, who turns out to be a real murderous wacko is trying to both turn her five year old son Alex against her as well as have her committed to a lunatic asylum.
It's psychiatrist Dr. Huntington "Hunt" Baily, George Brent, who gets the lowdown to Allida and Nick's strange relationship while on a train ride from the mid-west, Nebraska, to New York from Nick's just released from a sanitarium sister Cissie, Olive Blakenly. It's Cassie who filled him in on just what's happening in the Bederaux household and how her brother is a threat to both Allida and Alex. Before "Hunt" even gets to meet Allida whom, by seeing a painting of her, he has developed the hots for Cissie drops dead of a heart attack and her luggage ends up with "Hunt" by mistake. Finding a manuscript by Cissie about her brother and his wife Allida that exposes Nick as a first class psycho who's a danger to himself as well as those , like Allida & Alex, around him. "Hunt" is now more then determined to keep her and the boy away from him for their own good and safety.
***SPOILERS*** Later after in an effort to save both Allida & Alex from Nicks' plan to murder them as well as the non-existent family butler who's identity Nick plans to use in faking his own death, if you can figure out what his deranged plan is, "Hunt" confronts the madman and after trying to talk some sense into him by getting him to have himself committed. Nick now pulls out all the stops as well as his rod, gun, and not only attempt to blast "Hunt" away but have his own beautiful wife and five year old son iced by burning the entire house, or mansion, down by igniting its gas works that he secretly turned on!
It's now up to "Hunt" to put and end to this insanity on Nick's part who at the same time is pointing a gun to his head. In a wild free for all it's "Hunt" who gets the upper hand by disarming, in knocking the gun out of his hand, Nick and having enough time to get himself together with both Allida & Alex, who were left unconscious by the gas fumes, out of the house before it exploded! As for crazy Nick he quite didn't make it out with the house erupting in a massive gas explosion that burned him to a crisp and, in the only thing that he accomplished in the movie, left him unidentifiable!
It's psychiatrist Dr. Huntington "Hunt" Baily, George Brent, who gets the lowdown to Allida and Nick's strange relationship while on a train ride from the mid-west, Nebraska, to New York from Nick's just released from a sanitarium sister Cissie, Olive Blakenly. It's Cassie who filled him in on just what's happening in the Bederaux household and how her brother is a threat to both Allida and Alex. Before "Hunt" even gets to meet Allida whom, by seeing a painting of her, he has developed the hots for Cissie drops dead of a heart attack and her luggage ends up with "Hunt" by mistake. Finding a manuscript by Cissie about her brother and his wife Allida that exposes Nick as a first class psycho who's a danger to himself as well as those , like Allida & Alex, around him. "Hunt" is now more then determined to keep her and the boy away from him for their own good and safety.
***SPOILERS*** Later after in an effort to save both Allida & Alex from Nicks' plan to murder them as well as the non-existent family butler who's identity Nick plans to use in faking his own death, if you can figure out what his deranged plan is, "Hunt" confronts the madman and after trying to talk some sense into him by getting him to have himself committed. Nick now pulls out all the stops as well as his rod, gun, and not only attempt to blast "Hunt" away but have his own beautiful wife and five year old son iced by burning the entire house, or mansion, down by igniting its gas works that he secretly turned on!
It's now up to "Hunt" to put and end to this insanity on Nick's part who at the same time is pointing a gun to his head. In a wild free for all it's "Hunt" who gets the upper hand by disarming, in knocking the gun out of his hand, Nick and having enough time to get himself together with both Allida & Alex, who were left unconscious by the gas fumes, out of the house before it exploded! As for crazy Nick he quite didn't make it out with the house erupting in a massive gas explosion that burned him to a crisp and, in the only thing that he accomplished in the movie, left him unidentifiable!