Val Lewton gets the rare chance to work on a period piece. He still has a budget of about 12 bucks. A spirited "wit" in the 1800s meets a Quaker who reforms her thinking and crosses her rich, stupid nobleman benefactor. Her efforts to improve the lives of the inmates of an insane asylum get her tossed in there herself.
This film survives for two reasons -- Lewton is a genius, and the head of the asylum is Boris Karloff, in a role that's not quite horror but perfectly suited to his talents. He's menacing, brutish and thoroughly wicked. I enjoyed disliking his character, and that's a sign of a good villain.
Watch this on a cold, rainy afternoon or gloomy night to set the mood.
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