''The Spiral Staircase'' is a 2000

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

remake of the 1946 film '' The Spiral Staircase'' based on Ethel Lina White's 1933 novel ''Some Must Watch''. The film was directed by James Head with a

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...

by Matt Dorff, and stars

Nicollette Sheridan Nicollette Sheridan (born 21 November 1963) is an English-born American actress. She began her career as a fashion model before landing a role in the short-lived ABC primetime soap opera '' Paper Dolls'' in 1984, as well as starring in the rom ...

, Judd Nelson, Alex McArthur, Debbe Dunning and

Holland Taylor Holland Virginia Taylor (born January 14, 1943) is an American actress. She won the 1999 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Judge Roberta Kittleson on ABC's ''The Practice'' (1998–2003). ...

Background

The Ethel Lina White novel ''Some Must Watch'' was first offered on film in 1946 as ''The Spiral Staircase''. This same title was used for a 1962 television adaptation, 1975 British TV-movie remake, and the 2000 made-for-cable feature. The 2000 version updated the original story to re-set from the early 20th century to present day. Filmed on locations in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Canada, the 2000 version was made for Fox Family network (now Freeform), as a remake of three previous films, still based on Ethel Lina White's novel, and using the same title as the previous films of

1946 Events January * January 6 - The first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into four occupation zones. * January 10 ** The ...

, 1962, and

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

Synopsis

The film centers around Helen Capel (

), a pathologically mute woman who is being stalked by a vicious killer. Mute since the death of her parents when she was a child, Helen accepts a nursing position on a secluded island in the household of wealthy matriarch Emma Warren (

). Helen learns that a serial killer is picking off "imperfect" young girls around town, and she fears she is next. A terrible storm hits the island one night and the family and Helen are trapped inside... and they're not alone; the killer is with them in the shadows.

Cast

as Helen Capel * Judd Nelson as Phillip Warren * Debbe Dunning as Danielle *

as Emma Warren * Christina Jastrzembska as Rachel Parsons * William McDonald as Sheriff Bell * John Innes as Dr. Porter * Margaret Ryan as Mrs. Pritzker *

Kandyse McClure Candice McClure (born 22 March 1980), known professionally as Kandyse McClure, is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Anastasia Dualla in the SyFy series ''Battlestar Galactica'' and as Dr. Clementine Chasseur in the Netflix series ...

as Monica * Charles Payne as Medical Examiner *

A.J. Cook Andrea Joy Cook (born July 22, 1978) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau on the CBS crime drama ''Criminal Minds'' (2005–2020, 2022). Cook has also appeared in ''The Virgi ...

as Local Girl * Kristina Matisic as Newscaster * Alex McArthur as Steven Warren * Dolores Drake as Sarah * David Storch as Bobby Tyler * Lillian Carlson as Mrs. Winfield * Brenda Campbell as Elise * Dallas Thompson as Linda * Katrina Matthews as Cocktail Waitress

Release

The film debuted in April 2000 in the United States, followed by releases in the United Kingdom in May 2000, France in 2001 as ''Le secret du manoir'', Czech Republic in 2003,Germany in 2004 as ''Stummer Schrei - Und keiner kann dir helfen'', Hungary in 2005 and Sweden in 2007.

Reception

In noting that the original 1946 film was "''a stellar thriller''", Steven Linan of ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' found the 2000 remake to be an ''"inferior remake''".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spiral Staircase (2000 film), The 2000 television films 2000 films Remakes of American films American television films 2000s English-language films Films set in country houses