Stories from the set

The close-up of the killer's eyes is actually the eyes of director Robert Siodmak.

In the close-ups of the maniac's eyes and hands, the eyes and hands actually shown are those of the film's director, Robert Siodmak (1900-1973).

Joan Crawford (1905-1977), whose performance in George Cukor's (1899-1983) 1941 thriller "A Woman's Face" earned critical acclaim, was at one point considered for the role of the mute girl played by Dorothy McGuire (1916-2001). MGM studio head and co-founder Louis B. Mayer (1884-1957) was categorically opposed to the idea, telling the actress that she had played enough crippled and disfigured heroines.