William Castle, who later went on to make all-out horror films, here creates a subtle, Val Lewton-influenced atmosphere of fear to surround the tale of a new bride who realizes that she may have married a murderer. This low-budget, independently produced thriller was hailed by critics Manny Farber, James Agee and Orson Welles; Farber later wrote, "In 1943, William Castle...could experiment with a couple of amateurs (Robert Mitchum and Kim Hunter), try out a then new Hollywood idea of shooting without studio lights in the sort of off-Broadway rented room where time seems to stand still for years and the only city sounds come through a postage stamp opening in the air well. The movie was a hit with perceptive moviegoers, made a fair profit, and prepared audiences for two new stars and some of the uninvented-looking cinema later made famous in Open City. All this was possible because Castle wasn't driven to cater to cliché tastes."