An early Hitchcock masterwork, Shadow of a Doubt has been compared to literary classics such as Joseph Conrad's The Secret Sharer and Graham Greene's Brighton Rock for its exploration of the moral links between Uncle Charley (Joseph Cotten), a psychopathic killer of women, and his young adoring niece who shares his name. In a disturbing film about the sudden eruption of evil in the midst of everyday life, perhaps the most unsettling moment is when Uncle Charley, whose depravity has been discovered by his niece, lectures her: "What do you know, really? You go through your ordinary little day and at night you sleep your untroubled ordinary little sleep filled with peaceful stupid dreams. And I brought you nightmares." This could be Hitchcock addressing his audience. -Marilyn Fabe