John Chapman points out in the introduction to this that New York theatre audiences weren’t traditionally big fans of suspense plays but they did take to the occasional English import, such as this, Payment Deferred, Angel Street or Dial M for Murder. This is an effective chiller about a horrible old lady who torments her staff and niece but is charmed by a young man who’s banged her maid – so much so she hires him to become an assistant. The staff soon become convinced that the guy is a killer (with the head of his last victim in a box), although that doesn’t stop the niece from falling for her. The scenes involving the servants are annoying (cheerful cockneys) but the killer man, Danny, is a great character and the finale is very strong, where the guy goes to kill the little old lady. Alfred Drake, best known for musicals on stage, is effective as the killer.
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