THE MAZE (1953)
Article #248 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 11-19-2001
Posting date: 4-4-2002

When a woman’s fiance is called back to the castle of his family in Scotland, and he mysteriously breaks off their engagement, she goes to the castle along with her aunt to find him harboring a deep dark secret.

I have a lot of affection for this eerie horror/SF movie, though it took me a couple of viewings. The first time I saw the movie, I did get caught up in the eerie mood and the atmospheric sense of dread and tragedy that pervaded the castle, but the revelation concerning the nature of the true lord of the castle caused me to break out in laughter rather than to rear back in horror, and it ruined the movie for me. The second time I saw it, I was prepared, and was able to see beyond this flaw and appreciate how touching and sad the ending of the movie was. Part of the credit must go to Richard Carlson’s excellent performance, one of the best of his I’ve seen. This was originally shot in 3D, but I’ve never seen it that way. This one is worth a look.