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Plot

Radio legend and 3-D pioneer Arch Oboler brings his story, Alter Ego, to the screen in a low-budget yarn that benefits from a strong cast and direction. Joan Ellis (Phyllis Thaxter) hears a voice in her head (in flashbacks) shortly before she is to be married. She flees to another city and even takes up with another man to rid herself of the voice, but random words bring it back at unexpected moments. The voice ultimately tells her to kill her husband-to-be, and when a psychiatrist (Edmund Gwenn) determines on the eve of her execution that Joan is possessed by a split personality, a struggle ensues to see which one will survive. Oboler uses radio techniques and tense scripting to bring his thriller to visual life.
MPAA Rating:
Genre(s):
Drama
Run Time:
65min.
Distributor(s):
MGM
Director(s):
Arch Oboler
Starring:
Phyllis Thaxter , Edmund Gwenn , Henry Daniels, Jr. , Horace McNally , Addison Richards
Themes:
Unlikely Criminals,Doctors and Patients,Split Personalities
Tone:
Disturbing,Eerie,Intimate,Tense
Keywords:
execution,head [body part],husband,murder,psychiatrist,split-personality,voice [speaking]