Man in the Attic (1954)

'Man in the Attic' is a Jack the Ripper story, it's actually been filmed a number of times as 'The Lodger' which is the title of the book on which it is based, versions include a silent by Alfred Hitchcock and one as recent as 2009. Here Jack is a research pathologist with a mother fixation and in an unusual bit of casting is played by Jack Palance. While killing prostitutes at night he engages in a timid virginal romance with the niece (Constance Smith) of the woman he is renting some rooms from, Aunt Bee from 'The Andy Griffith Show' Francis Beaver. A solid little films, works better then it might largely on the weight of Palance's intriguing performance. ***