Melodrama set in Victorian Brighton. Scheming pub landlady uses the timorous son of a domineering pharmacist to assist in the poisoning of her drunkard husband. (The title is from the way pharmacists used to wrap parcels containing poison).
Acting
Googie Withers' predatory pub landlady—smoldering, calculating, unforgettable.
Direction
Robert Hamer's claustrophobic framing traps characters in their social prisons.
Production
Authentic Brighton locations dripping with seaside decay.
Director
Robert Hamer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Robert Hamer made this between his Ealing comedies, proving he could do pitch-black melodrama just as savagely.
The film was controversial upon release for implying a respectable Victorian home could harbor such corruption—censors nearly cut the poisoning sequence entirely.
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