You’d see this in movies like Gaslight (1944), which would utilize its almost suffocating at times setting incredibly well, and a type of set that Hitchcock himself incorporated so wonderfully in movies like Psycho. In many ways that a lot of his older films so perfectly utilize sets in a way that they almost feel like characters themselves, the residence in The Lodger has a similar creepy old house vibe. Taking clear inspiration from Jack the Ripper, Hitchcock gets a solid foundation for a mystery shrouded in the increasingly heavy subject material. With Novello in the lead role-who Hitchcock would also work alongside in the same year in Downhill-he gives a well-rounded performance that does a great job of creating a sense of unease around him. When a young man ( Ivor Novello) takes up lodging at a guest house, suspicions begin to arise around his stay. The film takes audiences to London, as a serial killer remains at large. The film was shot in sunny Santa Rosa, California, where the shadows are darker because the sunlight is so much brighter.Often cited as the first great Hitchcock film, there’s a clear directorial vision that’s present throughout The Lodger, especially when compared to many of his other earlier works. The tension builds to an alarming climax, in a trademark sequence (another one for the Hitchcock highlight reel) showing the Master of Suspense at the top of his form. But evidence soon begins to suggest the elder Charles might actually be a cold-blooded serial killer, and a lethal game of charades begins between uncle and niece: she knows the truth, and he knows that she knows the truth. The arrival of everyone's much loved Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotton, in his favorite role) is the catalyst to disaster, with eldest daughter Charlie in particular welcoming the arrival of her affectionate namesake as a relief from the humdrum routine of suburban life. In one of his most chilling and memorable intrigues Alfred Hitchcock lays bare the myth of small town virtue with a perverse piece of Americana about a wholesome family unaware of the gruesome skeleton lurking in its closet.
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