Phantom Lady (1942)

Scott Henderson is facing execution for a murder he didn't commit and the countdown clock is ticking. His only chance of reversing fortune rests in a close friend's ability to scour New York's grimy nightlife and locate the anonymous woman who can prove he wasn't at the crime scene. Such are the opening stakes in Cornell Woolrich's pulp thriller, "Phantom Lady", the focus of our latest review. Demonic drugs, fever dream rhythms and even an orange pumpkin hat - what could be more Halloween than that! Thrills and chills abound in this twisty, influential noir.