The Spiral Staircase

It's the early twentieth century in a small New England town. Helen, for reasons unknown, has become mute. Once a nurse, she, because of her affliction, now works as companion to bedridden wealthy Mrs. Warren, who prefers her to be her regular nurse as opposed to who is her real nurse, Nurse Barker, largely relegated to sitting outside Mrs. Warren's bedroom door waiting for an emergency. Similarly, Mrs. Warren would prefer young Dr. Parry over the town's regular physician, Dr. Harvey, the former who has difficulties in making a living as long as he plays second fiddle to his more seasoned colleague. Friends with Dr. Parry, Helen is secretly in love with him. The mansion is overseen by Mrs. Warren's responsible stepson, Professor Albert Warren. There is open animosity between him and his stepbrother, Mrs. Warren's biological son, the more wild Steven Warren, who comes and goes for long periods. The Professor resents feeling the need to take care of Mrs. Warren, even now when Steven is back as Steven's attention is in the sexual pursuit of the Warren secretary, Blanche. One day when Helen is in town watching a film at the inn, a young woman is murdered upstairs, the third such in short order. The constable is worried about Helen as all the victims have been young women with some sort of disability. What Helen does not know as she makes it back to the isolated mansion is that the murderer has followed her, she and the others there at risk in they largely being on their own as a storm rolls in.