Shock Corridor (1963)

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Directed by Samuel Fuller.

Starring James Best, Peter Breck, Gene Evans, Hari (Harry) Rhodes, Constance Towers.

Shock Corridor represents filmmaker Samuel Fuller at his most excessive, but few would have it otherwise. Peter Breck plays a ruthless journalist who believes that the quickest way to a Pulitzer Prize is to uncover the facts behind a murder at a mental hospital. To glean first-hand information, Breck pretends to go insane and is locked up in the institution. While pursuing his investigation, Breck is sidetracked by the loopy behavior of his fellow inmates. During a hospital riot, Breck is straightjacketed and subjected to shock treatment. By now almost as crazy as he's previously pretended to be, Breck begins imagining that his exotic-dancer girlfriend Constance Towers (a Samuel Fuller "regular") is actually his sister! Typical of the Fuller ouevre, the characters in Shock Corridor are either saved or destroyed by their individual obsessions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

What is it called when......... ...
by leeroy711 in leeroy711 Blog

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Have you ever watched a movie that you liked so much that it actually pisses you off that you waited soooo long to watch it? Is there a special word for that? I just finished watching Samuel Fuller's Shock Corrider and I have that feeling. This movie has been bouncing around my netflix queue for the better part of a year now and I finally sat down to watch it tonight. I had a similar feeling after watching 8 1/2 for the first time. Damn it, what the hell else have I been missing? " [More]

Re:Re:Re:Re:Is Pickup on South ...
by JimBell in Noir

hasn't rated it.

"I don't know that much about him. Was he involved in espionage? The underworld? Another other movies--noir or not--by him that you'd recommend?JIMBELL " [More]

Bargain Criterion
by HarmlessAndroid in Criterion Collection

hasn't rated it.

"I am a bargain hunter in general, but I love to dig for things. I have made it pretty much a standard that I don't pay full price for Criterions even though I love them. I have a hard time paying $40 for a movie. Here are a few that I have found for really really low prices.Seven Samurai - $7 (Blockbuster used area)Carnival of Soulds - $5 (Second hand store)Band of Outsiders - $6 (Bizarre junk shop in Niles Michigan)Shock Corridor - $8 (Going out of business clearance at Hollywood Video) Robocop - $25 (ebay, usually sells for $80ish... its out of print) I will add more if I have any new super on the cheap aquisitions. " [More]

The early stuff is just as good
by quint in An inordinate number of peppers

liked it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I saw this on Netflix on demand thing. Whatever they're calling it. I'm becoming quite a fan of the service although it only works on a tricked out pc. It's pretty cool to have all this stuff at your disposal and although the selection is still slim, there are gems like this: early Sam Fuller. If you are not a fan of Sam Fuller, you probably haven't seen enough Sam Fuller. This is from a great Criterion Collection of his early films and it has all the tight structure and controversy of Shock Corridor or Pickup on South Street. If you've never seen a Sam Fuller film, think Quentin Tarantino, but in the 50's. That's doing Fuller a great injustice, but I think fans of the one should become fans of the other. I've always found Fuller's films to be well written. That is mainly why I am drawn to them. He reminds me of Clifford Odets. Fuller should be ranked with John Houston and he's better than Peckinpah at a lot of things. Check out everything yo ... " [More]

Re: Top Five Movies with Budget ...
by Jymkata in Top 5

liked it.

"interesting topic, I must admit I like a lot of films with higher budgets but here is my top 5 without spending too much time looking up the numbers- 1. 12 Angry Men - $350,000 in 1957, about $ 5.6 mil. in today's dollars according to your rules. This is one of my favorite films. Yeah, the setting is a couple of rooms, but the direction is taut and wow, what a cast!2. Mad Max - est. $350,00 in 1979, about $ 2.8 mil. Amazing low budget film. They got a steal with an unknown Mel Gibson, but it's pretty gutsy to make a futuristic movie with this scale.3. City of God - This movie looks like it was made with $ 50 mil. thanks to the direction and cinematography, but can you believe it only cost Miramax $ 3.3 mil. ?4. Donnie Darko - This is another one that looks like it cost a lot, but it was made with $ 4.5 mil. and I loved it 5. Reservoir Dogs - I know it's hip to trash Tarantino as just a hip poser, but he made an outstanding debut for $ 1.2 millionin 1992. Big budgets, sm ... " [More]

Re: Top 5 Journalism Movies
by Risselada in Filmspotting

loved it.

"Some of these movies feature journalism more centrally some more incidentally.1. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Gonzo Journalism at it's most iconic2. Citizen Kane - Journalism as a theme and part of the structure3. Shattered Glass - true story of fake stories4. All The President's Men5. No Man's Land - how journalism doesn't just report on wars, but often affects wars, and sometimes even starts them Runner's up - Shock Corridor, The Hudsucker Proxy, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Good Night, and Good Luck. " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

Though he often worked within and outside the studio system, director Samuel Fuller was essentially banished from Hollywood after 1963's lurid Shock Corridor and 1964's Naked Kiss. Now widely recognized as one of his best films, Corridor is an uncompromising, idiosyncratic depiction of the seams that threaten to tear American apart. Fuller had worked as both a crime reporter and a pulp novelist, and he often translated the sensationalism of those fields to his movies. Corridor in particular featured extremely stylized direction, dialogue, and acting; at the time of the film's release, its anything-for-an-effect aesthetic struck some viewers as preposterous and inflammatory. French critics and filmmakers, however, embraced Fuller's unique style, and many notable filmmakers have since claimed Fuller as an influence, including Martin Scorsese, Jim Jarmusch, Wim Wenders, and Quentin Tarantino. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide

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