Shock (1946) centres on Janet Stewart (Anabel Shaw), a young woman awaiting the arrival of her husband, whom she hasn't seen since he went off to war. While in her hotel room she looks out her window only to see a husband murder his wife. Witnessing a murder is too much for Janet and she goes into a state of catatonic shock. Unfortunately, when the hotel physician recommends Janet be sent to a specialist, that specialist turns out to be none other than the man whom Janet witnessed kill his wife, psychiatrist Dr. Richard Cross (Vincent Price). As might be expected, Dr. Cross has Janet sent to his own asylum, where he, assisted by his nurse and lover Elaine Jordan (Lynn Bari) plot to keep Janet from ever revealing what she knows.
Shock (1946) originated as a story by Albert DeMond, who may be best remembered today for his work on many Republic serials. The screenplay was written by Eugene Ling and Martin Berkely. Eugene Ling had previously co-written the drama Within These Walls (1945), starring Thomas Mitchell. Martin Berkeley had acted on Broadway in the 1920s and he wrote the Broadway production Seen But Not Heard with Ruth Baumer. His play The Penalty was adapted for the screen as the 1941 film of the same name. With regards to film, he wrote several entries in the Dr. Gillespie series, and later wrote the screenplay for the classic sci-fi movie Tarantula (1955).
20th Century Fox initially planned Shock (1956) as a major motion picture to be directed by Henry Hathaway. As it turned out, the studio decided to scale back the budget for Shock (1956), and as a result the film was directed by Alfred L. Werker, who had directed such films as Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) and A-Haunting We Will Go (1942). While Shock (1946) would be a B-picture, it would be one with "A" class cast. Vincent Price was cast in his first lead role as Dr. Cross. By this point in his career, Mr. Price was already well-established as a character actor and a supporting actor. Indeed, he had already appeared in the classics Laura (1944) and Leave Her to Heaven (1945). Lynn Barri was cast as Dr. Cross's accomplice, lover, and nurse, Elaine Jordan. She was well-known for playing alluring, but ultimately bad women in such films as Orchestra Wives (1942) and Chinal Girl (1942). After having broken free of such roles, she played what might be her most evil role with Elaine.
While Shock (1946) had been demoted from an A picture to a B movie, it received promotion befitting a major motion picture. This was largely due to positive reviews from the trade papers. The review in Variety described Shock (1946) as "good enough for top billing in many spots" and stated that it "should contribute strongly to box-office draw." Audiences took to Shock (1946) as well. The film ultimately made $800,000 at the box office, having been made for only $350,000.
Upon its release, Shock (1946) received its share of positive reviews. The Los Angeles Herald-Examiner called the film, "one of the best of the season" and "a terrific little picture." Philip K. Scheuer in The Los Angeles Times called it a "nominal B feature" that screenwriter "Eugene Ling and Director Alfred Werker have imbued... with a grade-A suspense." Not all reviews were positive, however, as Bosley Crowther of The New York Times took outright offence to the film. He wrote, "...there are thousands of veterans whose experiences during the war have rendered them more or less needful of psycho-therapy....Confidence in the doctor is of vital importance...a film such as Shock breeds just the opposite in distraught, suspicious minds."
Bosley Crowther was not the only one offended by Shock (1946), as many in the psychiatric profession were also appalled by the film. The president of the American Psychiatric Association wrote a letter to MPAA president Eric Johnson in which he described Shock (1946) as "...an unsuitable and undesirable picture to be shown to the general public and that it will do a good deal of harm." Dr, Manfred Sakel, who had developed insulin shock therapy in 1927 (it plays a pivotal role in the film), saw Shock (1946) and said that it was "...stupidly done and terribly damaging to psychiatry." As to movie censorship boards, censorship boards in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia removed all references to insulin shock therapy from the movie.
Of course, as someone who minored in psychology, I have to point out that while insulin shock therapy was widely accepted in the 1940s, it would begin to fall out of favour in the 1950s. It would eventually become regarded as ineffective and even downright cruel and inhumane. Even at the height of its use, psychiatrists realized that insulin shock therapy could be dangerous. The hypoglycaemia induced by large doses of insulin could result in brain damage and even death. Given what we now know about insulin shock therapy, the portrayal of the treatment isn't nearly as offensive today as it must have been to the mental health profession in 1946. As to the portrayal of Dr. Richard Cross, it is understandable why many psychiatrists would have been offended, although there had been corrupt psychiatrists on screen before, notably Dr. Judd in Cat People (1942).
While it is not one of his best remembered films, Shock (1946) was an important film in Vincent Price's career, and not simply because it was his first lead role. Dr. Cross can be considered the predecessor of the many mad scientists Vincent Price would play once he became firmly identified with the horror genre in the 1950s. In many respects, the not-so-good Dr. Cross can be considered the forerunner of Dr. Warren Chaplin in The Tingler (1959), Dr. Eramus Craven in The Raven (1963), and Dr. Phibes in The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972).
In his review for Turner Classic Movies from 2006 when Shock (1946) was released on DVD as part of the Fox Film Noir series, author Jeremy Arnold wrote "It's more of a Gothic thriller, complete with thunderstorms, a doctor gone bad, and an eerie sanitorium." While I agree with Mr. Arnold more often than not, this is one case where I do disagree with him. He is right in describing Shock (1946) as a Gothic thriller. Indeed, the movie even has overtones of the horror genre. Even so, I think it is also film noir. After all, Nurse Elaine Jordan, masterfully played by Lynn Barri, is very much a femme fatale in film noir mode, goading Dr. Cross towards the dark side. As Janet, Anabel Shaw is very much an ordinary person who finds herself in circumstances well beyond her control. The cinematography by Joseph MacDonald and Glen MacWilliams is also suitably noir, with some solid use of shadows and limited light sources. For me Shock (1946) is both a Gothic thriller and a film noir, and has overtones of horror.
Regardless, Shock (1946) is an entertaining movie. It is a taut thriller with some great performances from the leads and a screenplay that does not scrimp on thrills. Perhaps the only shortcoming of Shock (1946) is that it could have benefited from a higher budget, with sets that sometimes look cheap even for a B-movie. While its sets may look cheap, Shock (1946) is ultimately a top-notch film and worth any fan of Gothic thrillers or film noirs checking out.
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