Back to trending
Cause for Alarm!

Cause for Alarm!

Thriller · Drama · Crime · 1951

A bedridden and gravely ill man believes his wife and doctor are conspiring to kill him, and outlines his suspicions in a letter.

Movie details

Cause for Alarm!

“This Girl Is In Danger!”

1951 Thriller · Drama · Crime 1h 14m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

A bedridden and gravely ill man believes his wife and doctor are conspiring to kill him, and outlines his suspicions in a letter.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Cause for Alarm!?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Islands

Islands

Thriller · 2025

In this twisty thriller, a tennis coach at a tropical resort finds himself at the center of a missing persons mystery. Tom teaches tennis during the day and parties at night. When an enigmatic tourist arrives, Tom is unable to shake the feeling he has met her before. Tension and attraction grow, until her husband disappears, and the police suspect Tom.

Killer's Kiss

Killer's Kiss

Thriller · 1955

Davey Gordon, a New York City boxer at the end of his career, falls for dancer Gloria Price. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo, who has eyes for Gloria. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.

Insomnia

Insomnia

Thriller · 2002

Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.

The Hitch-Hiker

The Hitch-Hiker

Thriller · 1953

Roy and Gilbert's fishing trip takes a terrifying turn when the hitchhiker they pick up turns out to be a sociopath on the run from the law. He's killed before, and he lets the two know that as soon as they're no longer useful, he'll kill again. The two friends plot an escape, but the hitchhiker's peculiar physical affliction, an eye that never closes even when he sleeps, makes it impossible for them to tell when they can make a break for it.

Brute Force

Brute Force

Crime · 1947

Timeworn Joe Collins and his fellow inmates live under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey. Only Collins' dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's chains?

Dial M for Murder

Dial M for Murder

Thriller · 1954

When her American lover visits London, a wealthy woman’s jealous husband hatches a plan to murder her and inherit her fortune.

2073

2073

Thriller · 2024

Inspired by Chris Marker's iconic 1962 featurette La Jetée; the year is 2073—a not-so-distant dystopian future—and the setting is New San Francisco, the scorched-earth tech-dominant police state where democracy and personal freedom have been well and truly obliterated.

Remember

Remember

Drama · 2015

With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person responsible for the death of his family.

While the City Sleeps

While the City Sleeps

Thriller · 1956

Newspaper men compete against each other to find a serial killer dubbed "The Lipstick Killer".

Nightfall

Nightfall

Crime · 1956

An innocent man turns fugitive as he reconstructs events that implicate him for a murder and robbery he did not commit.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Tay Garnett

Written by

Tom Lewis · Lawrence B. Marcus · Mel Dinelli

Loretta Young

Loretta Young

Ellen Jones

Barry Sullivan

Barry Sullivan

George Z. Jones

Bruce Cowling

Bruce Cowling

Dr. Ranney Grahame

Margalo Gillmore

Margalo Gillmore

Mrs. Edwards

Brad Morrow

Brad Morrow

Hoppy / Billy

Irving Bacon

Irving Bacon

Mr. Carston, Postman

Georgia Backus

Georgia Backus

Mrs. Warren

Court is in session

Put Cause for Alarm! on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.