The Murder in Thornton Square

Happily the studio was unsuccessful, as the original Gaslight is one of the founding texts of Britain's cinematic Gothic. The marvellous Viennese actor Anton Walbrook stars as insidious criminal Paul Mallen, who murders an old lady for her priceless jewels but is unable to locate them in his victim's capacious London mansion. Years later, Paul buys the property and moves in with his new bride (Diana Wynyard), whom he contrives to drive out of her mind while he scours the attics for the long-lost booty. "Lurking menace hangs in the air like a fog, the atmosphere is electric, and Wynyard suffers exquisitely as she struggles to keep dementia at bay"