Double Door (film)

Double Door is a 1934 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Charles Vidor, starring Evelyn Brent, and co-starring Francis Lederer and Anne Revere. The film is based on the play of the same name by Elizabeth McFadden.

The plot revolves around Ann Marlowe (Evelyn Brent), a cruel and domineering socialite who rules her New York City mansion with an iron fist. She is fiercely protective of her wealth and social standing, and harbors deep resentment towards her step-brother, Mortimer (Kent Taylor), and anyone who might threaten her position. When Mortimer falls in love with and marries the young and kind-hearted Gwen (Ann Revere), Ann sees Gwen as a gold digger and makes it her mission to destroy their happiness.

Ann isolates Gwen in a hidden, forgotten room in the mansion behind a "double door" – a room that was once a part of the house's original design but had been sealed off. The film follows Gwen's struggle for survival and her attempts to escape Ann's malicious clutches, while Mortimer remains oblivious to his wife's suffering. The film explores themes of greed, social class, cruelty, and the lengths to which one person will go to maintain power.