In the Hitchcockian thriller Faces in the Dark, Richard Hammond is a tough businessman who is on the verge of making a breakthrough with a new lightglobe his company is developing. An explosion in the lab leaves Hammond blinded and in need of a large amount of recovery. Unbeknownst to Hammond his wife Christiane had been planning to leave him to start a new life with his business partner David Merton. Instead Hammond and his wife, along with Hammond’s brother Max, two servants (chauffeaur Clem and maid Janet) as well as David, head to Hammond’s country cottage ostensibly to recuperate and also for Hammond and David to sort out some business issues.
Strange things soon begin happening though, things at the cottage are not quite as they should and nobody seems to be telling Hammond just what is going on. Then Max goes missing…
An excellent concept, one which as Leslie Halliwell says, Hitchcock himself would have worked wonders with. There is a nice sting in the tale too with things turning out not quite as you expect. A rare ‘cad’ role for Michael Denison too.
production details
UK | Rank – Welbeck – Penington Eady | 84 minutes | 1960
Writers: Ephraim Kogan, John Tulley
Novel: Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac
Cinematography: Ken Hodges
Music: Edwin Astley
Producer: Jon Penington
Director: David Eady
cast
John Gregson as Richard Hammond
Mai Zetterling as Christiane Hammond
John Ireland as Max Hammond
Michael Denison as David Merton
Tony Wright as Clem
Nanette Newman as Janet
Valerie Taylor as Miss Hopkins
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