The Telephone In The Film 'The Moral Staircase'

Telephone
Throughout the film The Spiral Staircase, the object of the telephone is frequently featured in a number of scenes as part of the mise en scène, seemingly as a passive choice for the sake of filling the scene with objects found in the average household, yet more actively used as a deliberate choice to represent an idea of imperfection, and the fear of normal everyday activities. It is only when we dig deeper that we find this fear further highlights the idea of Helen’s imperfection, in particular as being something out of the ordinary and strange, simply because the object of the telephone is not often associated with terror. Consequently the telephone itself can tell us more about Helen’s progression as a female protagonist in the female gothic genre, than Helen’s actions leading up to the final scenes.
It is interesting to think about how this object is used in the film as a way …show more content…
However, it is when Helen is faced with the murderer and when the suspense within the household is high that she first begins to try and use the telephone; except she can’t speak… and the telephone cannot work without Helen’s input. Typical of the film noir genre, Helen expresses her inner feelings of fear through her facial expressions in this scene, and it is apparent to the viewer that despite her desperation, this time, she may not be able to face her fear at this moment, subsequently leading her to more unfortunate