After the Paramount logo, we see the title appear in ordinary white text on glass, followed by credits for cast and crew. Through the glass, behind the text, we see a heavy set of doors. Then an enormous face appears between the credits and the doors, drifting forward. It is the stern face of a bitter old woman; a crazy and arrogant witch of a face. Then suddenly the image presses against the text and the glass shatters!!! That's right, the old woman has a look so hard, a face so tough, that it shatters glass!!! With acting and dialogue that film festivals live for, this near-campy drama of psychological manipulation and domination pushes the limits of pre-code thrillers.

Inspired by the eccentric, reclusive Wendel family of New York's Fifth Avenue, Elizabeth MacFadden's stage melodrama, Double Door, was adapted for the screen in 1934. Set in 1910 Manhattan, the film stars Mary Morris and Anne Revere, repeating their stage roles as the domineering, calculating Victoria Van Brett and her weakling sister Caroline.

SPOILERS: The title refers to the door guarding the Van Brett's secret vault, wherein are stored the family jewels. Years earlier, Victoria, the only member of the family who knows the vault's combination, locked Caroline in the dark, airless chamber, literally frightening her into madness. At present, the misleadingly sweet and sour-natured Victoria has embarked upon a campaign to destroy Ann Darrow (Evelyn Venable), the new bride of her half-brother Rip Van Brett (Kent Taylor). I initially planned to just check out a few minutes of this film to see if it was any good, but could not stop watching it until the end, which will leave you breathless...

Everything about this movie is masterful, from the story to the performances to the costumes to the sets. Charles Vidor did an excellent job of adapting a stage production to the screen. It is appropriately claustrophobic but never stale.

Rip Van Brett (Kent Taylor) is getting married. He comes from one of the oldest established and wealthiest families in New York, so when he chooses a nurse (Evelyn Venable) to be a his bride, his spinster sister Victoria (Mary Morris) is unhappy. She has already foiled one sibling Caroline (Anne Revere) from finding wedded bliss, and she intends to break up her brother's happiness too with her underhanded schemes.

This film was shown at Cinevent 2014, and everyone I knew who saw it at another film festival urged me to see it. Apparently word of mouth spread because the screening was packed. The audience ate it up, to the point that several times people began yelling at the screen. If you ever get a chance to see this, DO NOT miss it.