Gaslight (1944)

This remake of the British film of the same name is mostly successful, though not as terrifying as its predecessor. George Cuckor seems to be an unusual choice to direct a suspense film, particularly a Victorian psychological thriller like this -- it's not the kind of film he was known for, yet it works. If there's one thing this film does better than the British film it's in the performance of Ingrid Bergman as opposed to Diana Wynyard. It's one of Bergman's finest performances as the submissive young wife who is being systematically led to believe that she is going insane. Charles Boyer is less sinister than Anton Walbrook, but then again, Walbrook may have played it a bit more sinister than he needed -- Boyer comes across like a real person and almost becomes more sinister because he is less sinister (if that makes any sense). While this is a classy and effective psychological thriller, I think the British version still comes out ahead because it is more terrifying and shorter.