Critics reviews

The atmosphere of this film creeped me out as a kid. Now, it looks like a very silly, flimsy, melodramatic picture, whose conversations of Freudian psychoanalytic detective work aren't too far removed from the pseudo-science of a 50s monster movie. But the form is strong, and with the involvement of Bergman, Selznick, and Dali, it's Canonical by default. If only it latched onto the irrationality under the surface.

The film is standard, possibly even sub-par Hitchcock fare, though its influence over many of Hitchcock's later masterpieces is obvious. Just as Hitchcock's collaboration with Selznick for REBECCA (1940) influenced some of his best films, so, too, does SPELLBOUND inform Hitchcock's more subtle utilization of psychodrama in films such as REAR WINDOW (1954) and VERTIGO (1958).