Some people like this film. It has some not very good actors - Jane Rudolph, and Kent Smith. Val Lewton gave a gig to Sir Lancelot as their butler! In Tarrytown! I guess a gig's a gig and there wasn't much else going for him.
Robert Wise got his first directing credit here although he only got it because the original director was fired.
The film has resonance if you know about Val Lewton's life (which I didn't appreciate until I heard a podcast on his career). The little girl is both young Lewton and his daughter, a little odd, lonely, living in a fantasy world. The weird old lady, ex actress, is based on Lewton's aunt, Nazimova.
It's touching the girl wants a friend. The dad, Kent Smith, is a moron. I think it would've been better if they'd killed off him or Jane Rudolph (probably the latter to be honest) and played a romance.
It feels cut about, lacks a really cohesive whole type drive. The threat towards the girl feels contrived - the daughter who is angy at her doesn't feel as though she's really going to kill the kid. They throw in a storm.
It's interesting. I wish I'd seen the original version though (apparently onle exists). But the poor acting is the poor acting.
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