A Stranger Came Home

"The Unholy Four" redirects here. For the Italian spaghetti western, see The Unholy Four (1970 film).

A Stranger Came Home (U.S. title: The Unholy Four) is a 1954 British film noir directed by Terence Fisher and starring Paulette Goddard, William Sylvester and Patrick Holt.^[3] The screenplay was written by Michael Carreras based on the 1946 eponymous novel credited to actor George Sanders but actually ghostwritten by Leigh Brackett.^[4] The film was released in the United States by Lippert Pictures. Jimmy Sangster was production manager, J. Elder Wills was art director and Phil Leakey handled Makeup. Filming began Jan. 4, 1954 and the film was trade shown on July 14, 1954, and released in UK on August 9th.^[5]

A Stranger Came Home
A poster for the film bearing its American title: The Unholy Four
Directed by	Terence Fisher
Written by	Michael Carreras
Based on	Stranger at Home by George Sanders
Produced by	Michael Carreras
Starring	Paulette Goddard William Sylvester Patrick Holt
Cinematography	Walter J. Harvey Len Harris
Edited by	Bill Lenny
Music by	Leonard Salzedo John Hollingsworth
Production company	Hammer Film Productions
Distributed by	Exclusive Films (UK) Lippert Pictures (US)
Release date	9 August 1954 (1954-08-09) (UK)[1]
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	11,349 admissions (France)[2]

Plot

Four friends go on a fishing trip but only three return. After an absence of four years, during which time he had been an amnesiac, the fourth man, Philip Vickers, returns home after regaining his memory. He tells of a "friend" who knocked him out, drugged him, and left him to die. Any one of the remaining men could be a suspect as Job Crandall, Bill Saul and Harry Bryce have all been interested in Philip's attractive 'widow', Angie. Unfortunately, Philip's return coincides with a murder and he becomes the main suspect. Angie joins forces with her husband to help solve the mystery and clear his name.

Cast

Paulette Goddard in a publicity shot for A Stranger Came Home.

• Paulette Goddard as Angie
• William Sylvester as Philip Vickers
• Patrick Holt as Job Crandall
• Paul Carpenter as Bill Saul
• Alvys Maben as Joan Merrill
• Russell Napier as Inspector Treherne
• Kay Callard as Jenny
• Patricia Owens as blonde
• David King-Wood as Sessions
• Jeremy Hawk as Police Sergeant Johnson

Production

The film was produced by Hammer Films at Bray Studios in Berkshire.^[6] with sets designed by the art director J. Elder Wills.

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This confused and unconvincing murder mystery is so spattered with red herrings as to be almost incomprehensible. Paulette Goddard works hard; but for the most part the acting is little superior to the material."^[7]

The New York Times wrote, "A THIRD-RATE British-made whodunit called The Unholy Four, featuring Paulette Goddard and a nondescript cast ... A few more fly-by-nights like this Lippert presentation, produced and written by Michael Carreras, and the still-shapely Miss Goddard may find herself collecting the pieces of a career."^[8]

Leonard Maltin called it "Muddled."^[9]

Allmovie called it a "suspenseful drama."^[10]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Strength of character sees well-worn, fairly suspenseful thriller through."^[11]