Storm Fear (1955)

Actor Cornel Wilde’s directorial debut. He also stars in the film. With a screenplay by Horton Foote adapted from the 1954 novel by Clinton Seeley. Storm Fear has a claustrophobic feel to it for the majority of the movie. Set in a remote farmhouse in the mountains, where Fred Blake (Dan Duryea), a struggling writer, lives with his wife Elizabeth (Jean Wallace) and their son David (David Stollery). There is also a hired hand, Hank (Dennis Weaver), who frequents the house.

Things start to go off the rails when Fred’s brother Charlie (Cornel Wilde) shows up with a bullet wound in his leg and two associates in tow; Benjie (Steven Hill) and Edna (Lee Grant). It quickly becomes obvious that Charlie, Benjie, and Edna were involved in a bank robbery. Their unexpected intrusion on the formerly placid household is complicated by the fact that a snowstorm is rolling in, making it impossible for them to head out in the morning.

The tension in the house increases due to interpersonal drama between the two brothers and wife Elizabeth. The past comes back to haunt them all. Relationships are strained. The boy, starting to take a charm to his uncle, gets caught in the middle. Charlie’s associate, Benjie, is clearly a sociopath. His erratic behavior sets everyone on edge. The threat of being found out in a small town once the cops come looking forces Charlie to devise a desperate escape plan that brings tragedy to several of the characters.

Overall, this was an entertaining crime drama that, at turns, felt like it could have been a stage play. There was a touch of a Tennessee Williams kind of vibe to it, with decadence peculating just below the surface of a traditional family life. Add to that, cabin fever and the intensity of the criminal elements compounding the situation, and you have yourself a recipe for a good story.