DramaThriller

Guest in the House

- PRAY YOU NEVER HAVE THIS EVIL GUEST IN THE HOUSE!

Evelyn, an emotionally vulnerable and unstable woman, stays at the home of her doctor Dan Proctor. There she meets and falls in love with his brother, Douglas, who is happily married to Ann. Evelyn then sets forth to break up the happy marriage and win the love of Douglas.

Release Date : 1944-12-08

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Hunt Stromberg ProductionsUnited Artists

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : Satan in Skirts

Cast

Character Name : Evelyn Heath

Original Name : Anne Baxter

Gender : Female

Character Name : Douglas Proctor

Original Name : Ralph Bellamy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Aunt Martha Proctor

Original Name : Aline MacMahon

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ann Proctor

Original Name : Ruth Warrick

Gender : Female

Character Name : Doctor Dan Proctor

Original Name : Scott McKay

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miriam Blake

Original Name : Marie McDonald

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ernest Hackett

Original Name : Jerome Cowan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hilda

Original Name : Margaret Hamilton

Gender : Female

Character Name : John

Original Name : Percy Kilbride

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lee Proctor

Original Name : Connie Laird

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mr. Blossom

Original Name : Hobart Cavanaugh

Gender : Male

Character Name : Station Master

Original Name : Milton Kibbee

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Little Saint Cecilia! Guest in the House is directed by John Brahm and adapted to screen by Ketti Frings from the play written by Hagar Wilde, Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert. It stars Anne Baxter, Ralph Bellamy, Aline MacMahon, Ruth Warrick and Scott McKay. Music is by Werner Janssen and cinematography by Lee Garmes. The Proctor family take on more than they bargained for when Evelyn Heath (Baxter) comes to stay with them. Given the quality of cast and with the strength of Brahm and Garmes on the camera side of things, this really should have been a top tier psychological thriller. Sadly, in spite of much to keep it above average, it ends up as a melodramatic pot boiler that never quite comes to the boil. Essentially the pic is framed around Baxter's troubled Evelyn, who is up to no good, where mischief making is the order of the day. Her motives are sketchy and her neurotic kinks are never fully formed except to give us some closure at pic's denouement. Things aren't helped by the fact Evelyn is just not a character to either sympathise with, or to even feel unnerved by since her shenanigans are not gripping and even come off as a little daft. The male leads are poorly written, chauvinistic leanings boorish in the grand scheme of "outing" Evelyn as the sexual aggressor. While some of the histrionics on show from Baxter are hard to buy into. On the plus side the pic looks great, with Garmes (Nightmare Alley) managing to create moody ambiance in what is a stage bound play, and although I found Janssens' music score to be too jaunty at times, there's no denying the quality of arrangement (Oscar Nominated). You have to look to the supporting players for quality (MacMahon and Warrick), and admire some technical craft for comfort. But ultimately it's a missed opportunity for potency, whilst some of the contrivances and character portrayals date the story badly. 6/10