It all builds to the finale. The great, stunning, horribly melodramatic and hilarious finale.

A fantastic companion piece to The Lodger. I liked this one better in large part because Cregar's character here is a bit more complex and we get to participate in his internal struggle first hand. He's genuinely sympathetic, which makes it an emotionally resonant film even when he goes beyond the bounds of acceptability. The pacing is also incredibly strong, building up like a great symphony putting elements together piece by piece and then exploding with an exceptional climax.

Great thriller--kind of sad, but with great actors and cinematography, and beautiful music. I wonder if Laird Cregar is actually playing the piano? If not, he's one of the few actors who can effectively pretend to be playing :-)

A follow-up to The Lodger -- same director, writer, producer, star and setting. But there are some differences. Cregar here is less sinister, but a more nuanced character. The tone is closer to melodrama than thriller. The story doesn't allow for as much gloomy, gothic atmosphere, although there are some remarkably evocative sequences. The main drawback is that the film is rather slow-moving, at least for the first half. But it has a lot going for it, especially Herrmann's magnificent score.

Guys like Argento and De Palma has to have been greatly inspired by this film (first person-killings and masterful crane shots comes to mind...) The final sequence is sooooooooooooo great.