This movie was made from a tiny, now classic 1938 book by Kressmann Taylor (her full name was Kathrine Kressmann Taylor) that was written in the form of letters only between the two lead characters.
As such it is not only a brilliantly conceived horror story of how an evil idea poisons a society but how it continues on to destroy life.
The small book was re-issued in 2001 by Washington Square Press and at this writing currently available. No matter how you reacted to the movie this is a must read. It can be read in a single, short sitting but it packs an incredible wallop. The little story is compared to the best writing of O. Henry for its sly plot twists and lauded by Kurt Vonnegut who compares it to WWII as what Uncle Tom's Cabin was to the Civil War.
You can then return to the movie and enjoy it at a far deeper and more profound level. Beyond all of that if Paul Lukas is in a film, any film, you can trust that it is worth watching if only for his performance.
As such it is not only a brilliantly conceived horror story of how an evil idea poisons a society but how it continues on to destroy life.
The small book was re-issued in 2001 by Washington Square Press and at this writing currently available. No matter how you reacted to the movie this is a must read. It can be read in a single, short sitting but it packs an incredible wallop. The little story is compared to the best writing of O. Henry for its sly plot twists and lauded by Kurt Vonnegut who compares it to WWII as what Uncle Tom's Cabin was to the Civil War.
You can then return to the movie and enjoy it at a far deeper and more profound level. Beyond all of that if Paul Lukas is in a film, any film, you can trust that it is worth watching if only for his performance.