Spellbound Themes
Gender
Guys do brave, dashing, guy things while saving girls who do meek, loving, girl things. This is how fusty Old Hollywood is supposed to work. But in Spellbound, the woman is intellectual and courage...
Guilt and Blame
Mysteries always ask, "who's guilty?" In Spellbound the answer seems to be, "whoever didn't do it." Dr. Murchison doesn't seem troubled by shooting Edwardes; he doesn't want to get caught, but he d...
Love
Our "Genre" section points out that Spellbound is a mystery and a psychological thriller. But the film is also a romance. Constance and Ballantyne both find themselves by falling in love—he by sh...
Madness
In Spellbound, madness is separated from sanity very clearly. Constance is sane, Ballantyne isn't—until he's cured and then he's sane too. The doctors are all right the patients aren't, and that'...