Gothic mysteries continued to enthrall their fandom well into the 1950s but couldn’t remain insulated from the increasingly popular sci-fi genre while keeping the familiar horror elements. The Maze (1953) by William Cameron Menzies merges these genres quite smoothly into a movie that captures the viewers’ curiosity since the opening scene and keeps them hooked until the resolution. There is some mystery left, though, after the closing credits roll; and not all of it comes from the plot.

Without setting the story in the age of castles and baronets, The Maze brings an old Scottish castle into the contemporary world – meaning, of course, the place and time of the movie’s production (1953). After all, old buildings in remote rural areas and without electricity, telephone, or other urba...

Please subscribe to keep reading.