Sudden Fear

Released Aug 6, 1952

1h 50m

Mystery & Thriller

List

92%

13 Reviews

Tomatometer

84%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Following a whirlwind courtship, acclaimed playwright Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford) marries Lester Blaine (Jack Palance), a slick actor she has just fired from her latest play. Shortly after the honeymoon, Myra overhears Lester and his lover, Irene (Gloria Grahame), plotting to murder the wealthy writer for her inheritance. Shattered by the revelation, Myra pulls herself together and hatches a revenge scheme. But can she go through with her violent plans?

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Melissa Anderson

Village Voice

Like many underrecognized treasures, David Miller's Sudden Fear fits into and defies different genres, its convention-scrambling partly the result of the fact that the film looks both forward and back.

Aug 10, 2016

Full Review

Francois Truffaut

Cahiers du Cinéma

Outside of two very short but fairly unpleasing sequences, there is not a shot in this film that isn’t necessary to its dramatic progression. Not a shot, either, that isn’t fascinating and doesn’t make us think it is a masterpiece of filmmaking.

May 10, 2022

Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

...one of Crawford's first forays into camp.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 18, 2021

Full Review

Christopher Lloyd

The Film Yap

This forgotten woman-in-distress film noir stars Joan Crawford as a rich playwright and Jack Palance as the younger actor looking to marry and off her. Nice-looking but poorly plotted.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 25, 2021

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A sharp thriller with film noir undercurrents.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 24, 2021

Full Review

Frank J. Avella

Edge Media Network

the draw here is Crawford, and she delivers magnificently. If you can toss away any hints of "Mommie Dearest" (and I realize that is difficult), you might truly appreciate an actress who knows when to hold back and when to let loose.

Rated: A

Jan 23, 2021

Full Review

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Jeff M

This is an absolute must for anyone who loves classic movies, particularly film noir of the 40s and 50s. It's an extraordinarily entertaining and surprisingly engrossing tale of love, betrayal and revenge. At its best moments, it feels like something Hitchcock would have been proud to make at the peak of his prowess. There's one moment in particular during the climax involving a wind-up toy that had my pulse racing. Crawford is stupendous here - it's a shame her reputation has been overshadowed by the MOMMIE DEAREST persona because one tends to forget she was one heck of a movie star. Palance had a face that was made for villainy and holds his own in one of his very first movie roles. Both were Oscar nominated and deservedly so. The last 20 minutes are a whirlwind, and while I had an idea where we'd end up, I had no idea how we were going to get there. In the end, it all falls upon padded shoulders of Crawford, and she is electrifying - equal here to her Oscar-winning turn in MILDRED PIERCE.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/24

Full Review

shane c

Another wonderful Crawford film!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Ken R

Marvellous style, suspense (rivalling Hitchcock) and strong performances boost this David Miller directed film into very interesting heights. Master cinematographer Charles Lang (How the West was Won) adds handsomely to the locations and gripping situations, making this a better than average RKO top liner. Joan Crawford definitely deserved her Oscar nomination for a tour de force performance as the woman in love and peril. Almost a decade before, MGM had dumped Joan's contract, and following her success in RKO's ‘Sudden Fear' MGM wanted her back to make another film - they picked a poor subject (Torch Song) that failed rather dismally - making it a bad choice for everyone. The cast and crew for ‘Sudden Fear' all work hard to make this perhaps, sometimes over the top, suspensor, a winner all the way. Not to be missed by lovers of strong noir classics – with an early big score by Elmer Bernstein (Walk on the Wild Side). Recently re-mastered DVDs have been lovingly restored and are fine in every detail.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/25/21

Full Review

william d

Sudden fear starts out pretty slow. Then right around the 45 minute mark the plot twist kicks in and the movie really picks up the pace. This is a good and suspenseful thriller, despite an ending that wraps things up a little too conveniently.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

steve d

Unsettling but not especially memorable.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

paul d

A very fine noir thriller with two outstanding, and Oscar-nominated, performances from Joan Crawford and Jack Palance.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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David Miller

Director

Joan Crawford

Myra Hudson

Jack Palance

Lester Blaine

Gloria Grahame

Irene Neves

Bruce Bennett

Steve Kearney

Virginia Huston

Ann Taylor

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Synopsis

Following a whirlwind courtship, acclaimed playwright Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford) marries Lester Blaine (Jack Palance), a slick actor she has just fired from her latest play. Shortly after the honeymoon, Myra overhears Lester and his lover, Irene (Gloria Grahame), plotting to murder the wealthy writer for her inheritance. Shattered by the revelation, Myra pulls herself together and hatches a revenge scheme. But can she go through with her violent plans?

Director: David Miller
Screenwriter: Robert Smith, Lenore J. Coffee
Production Co: Joseph Kaufmann Productions
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 6, 1952, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 13, 2016
Runtime: 1h 50m

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