10 Commandments for Val Lewton

1) Thous shalt start and end thy films with a literary quote.
2) Thou shalt have stories involving some obscure moment/country/movement in history.
3) Thou shalt use actors from thy stock company - mostly RKO B film types who will never be seen again.
4) Thou shalt use literary scripts.
5) Thou shalt feature scenes where a character walks in some spooky location at night time with wind blowing through the trees.
6) Thou shalt not make a successful non-horror film.
7) Thou shalt use a schlocky title.
8) Thou shalt create horror by implication rather than actually showing something.
9) Thou shalt make thy audiences pay attention to what is going on.
10) Thou shalt have a rich parade of supporting characters.