Horror Classics: Shock (1946)

I haven't done a Horror Classics entry in a while, and I thought we'd look at another of Vincent Price's movies.

Today, we're looking at 1946's Shock.

A Tense Murder Mystery

A woman named Janet (Anabel Shaw) arrives at a hotel looking for her husband. Through a window, she sees Dr. Richard Cross (Vincent Price) strike and kill his wife with a candlestick during an argument. Janet, traumatized by the sight, collapses into a catatonic state.

Sometime later, Janet, now a patient at the sanatorium where Dr. Cross works, regains a small amount of memory. When Cross overhears her describing what she saw, he gets nervous, and he and his lover, Elaine, plot to kill her.

Shock wasn't very Well-Received

Before going into my own thoughts, I think it's important to note that Shock wasn't very well-received when it was released. Some reviewers liked the film, but one reviewer, Bosley Crowther, took particular offense at its portrayal of psychiatry.

The film was released in 1946, just a year after the end of WWII, and many soldiers needed psychiatric care. Crowther called the film a disservice to the field of psychiatry and, by extension, those who needed treatment for nervous disorders.

Still, the film did well financially, grossing $800,000 against a $350,000 budget.

So, What did I Like?

There were a few things that I really liked about Shock.

Vincent Price's portrayal of Dr. Cross is a great mixture of charm and vulnerability. He really sells the part of a doctor tormented by past actions, and his growing regret for his actions towards Janet makes him a bit more sympathetic than most movie villains - probably because he's not exactly a villain, just a guy scared of going to prison for murder.

Lynn Bari's Elaine is wonderful as the unscrupulous lover determined to get rid of any evidence, regardless of the human cost. She also seems to be more than a little psychotic, with little to no empathy.

Anabel Shaw is beautiful, and she brings Janet to life with this phenomenal vulnerability that really sells her fear of Dr. Cross and the possibility that she was going to be killed.

The story flows pretty well, and the cinematography is very well done.

Was there Anything I Didn't Like?

Well...yes, actually.

I mentioned that I liked the flow of the film, and I did, but there were a few times where it just drags to a crawl.

The character of Elaine is well-played, but we get no real background on her character, which makes it hard to really care about her. Likewise, her cold demeanour makes you feel very uncomfortable.

Lt. Paul Stewart (Janet's husband) has almost no background info, so there's no reason to care about him at all. He spends the bulk of the film just sitting around looking sad.

I'm also not too keen on the ending. Cross surrenders to law enforcement and is led away. Now, that's a decent enough ending, but it's also very abrupt - to me, at least. There's no concrete idea of what happens to him next, although there's a good chance he was facing the death sentence (it was the 1940s, after all.

The storyline of a guy killing to destroy evidence has been done a few times. While it's fairly well done, it's also not exactly very original.

So, Final Thoughts: Is Shock worth Watching?

Right, so, what's the final verdict? Is Shock worth a watch? Should you just leave it alone and watch something else? Well, I'd say it's a decent watch. If you're a fan of Vincent Price's work, then it might be worth giving this one a try.

As always, however, the choice is yours. Watch it yourselves and make up your own minds!