Do you want to see ‘Spellbound’?

Add to Netflix

Spellbound (1945)

tomatometer

All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 7.4/10
Reviews Counted: 32
Fresh: 28 | Rotten: 4

No consensus yet.

No Score Yet...

Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 1
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 0

audience

liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 15,606

My Rating

Added to your Facebook Timeline. — undo

Movie Info

As Alfred Hitchcock's classic psychothriller opens, the staff of a posh mental asylum eagerly awaits the arrival of the new director. When the man in question shows up, it turns out to be handsome psychiatrist John Ballantine (Gregory Peck). But something's wrong, here: Ballantine seems much too young for so important a position; his answers to the staff's questions are vague and detached; and he seems unusually distressed by the parallel marks, left by a fork, on a white tablecloth. Dr.

Unrated, 1 hr. 41 min.

Drama, Romance, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock

Written By: Francis Beeding, Angus MacPhail, John Palmer, Hilary St. George Sanders

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1945 Wide

On DVD: Mar 13, 2001

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Spellbound Trailer & Photos

Cast

Ingrid Bergman
Dr. Constance Peterson
Gregory Peck
Dr. Anthony Edwardes
Michael Chekhov
Dr. Alex Brulov
Leo G Carroll
Dr. Murchison
Rhonda Fleming
Mary Carmichael
Jean Acker
Matron
Donald Curtis
Harry
Norman Lloyd
Garmes
Regis Toomey
Sgt. Gillespie
John Emery
Dr. Fleurot
Paul Harvey
Dr. Hanish
Steven Geray
Dr. Graff
Erskine Sanford
Dr. Galt
Janette Scott
Norma
Wallace Ford
Hotel Stranger
Bill Goodwin
House Detective
Dave Willock
Bellboy
George Meader
Railroad Clerk
Matt Moore
Policeman
Harry Brown
Gateman
Art Baker
Lt. Cooley
Clarence Straight
Secretary at Police Sta...
Joel Davis
John Ballantine (younge...
Teddy Infur
Ballantine's Brother
Addison Richards
Police Captain
Richard Bartell
Ticket Man
Edward Fielding
Dr. Edwardes
Irving Bacon
Gateman
Victor Kilian
Sheriff

Critic Reviews for Spellbound

All Critics (34) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (31) | Rotten (5) | DVD (26)

Not to be speechless about it, David O. Selznick has a rare film in Spellbound.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Bosley Crowther

New York Times

Top Critic

Made in an age when master shots often became a standard scene style, Hitchcock shows some real thought behind his composition.

February 6, 2012 Full Review Source: 7M Pictures

| Comment

Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

A commercial and critical hit in its day, this Best Picture Oscar nominee has seen its standing slip in the ensuing decades, as it's never mentioned on any list of Alfred Hitchcock's best works. That's a shame.

January 25, 2012 Full Review Source: Creative Loafing

| Comment

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

It has a lot of great stuff, not least of which is the odd dream sequence, designed by none other than Salvador Dali.

February 13, 2009 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid

| Comment

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Uneven film, with fascinating dream images.

August 22, 2006 Full Review Source: Classic Film and Television

| Comment

Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

One of Hollywood's most explicit films about psychoanalysis, Spellbound takes a dubious and contrived approach to the subject, but the stars (Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck)shine and their love story is enjoyable.

June 6, 2005 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

| Comment

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

One of the director's most laughably dated films.

May 4, 2005 Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness

| Comment

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Severely dated but supremely entertaining psychological thriller

July 9, 2004 Comment

James Sanford

Kalamazoo Gazette

Stylish psychodrama

June 29, 2004 Comment

Daniel Eagan

Film Journal International

Second-tier Hitchcock, notable mainly for Salvador Dali's hallucinogenic landscapes.

May 2, 2004 Comment

Rob Vaux

Flipside Movie Emporium

Mid-range Hitchcock thriller with standout dream sequence.

December 10, 2003 Comment

Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Spellbound

View All

A decent story but way too over the top with the 'psychoanalysis'. There are many things I liked about this film such as the plot line of the murder mystery and the chase, however there are also a lot of things I didn't like such as the portrayal of women and how it took itself way too seriously.

December 26, 2011

Sophie Burgess

Super Reviewer

Though the Salvador Dali dream sequence is the obvious highlight, the entire film feels like a dream. Beautiful black and white images and all the twists you would expect from the master director.

November 13, 2011