The Library Is Closed
The Attic wants to be a psychological horror, but mostly it’s a 96-minute guided tour of Carrie Snodgress looking miserable in various rooms. Louise Elmore is a depressed, alcoholic spinster librarian in Wichita whose fiancé disappeared the day before their wedding—nineteen years ago. She’s spent the time since caring for her supposedly wheelchair-bound father, Wendell, a man so nasty he makes King Lear’s daughters look like the Care Bears. If passive-aggressive sighs could kill, this movie would’ve been over in 15 minutes.
A Love Life in a Bottle (and in a Hotel Room)
Louise’s days are filled with petty fantasies about murdering her father, drinking, and training her younger, sunnier replacement at the library, Emily. One night, she meets a sailor at a movie theater, has sex with him, and… that’s it. No consequences, no subplot payoff—just a reminder that in this film, plot points wander in, wave politely, and leave without closing the door.
Enter Dickie the Chimp (The Film’s Only Spark)
When Louise shows affection for a chimp in a pet store, Emily buys it for her, presumably because Wichita gift etiquette is just that quirky. The chimp, named Dickie, instantly becomes the most charismatic character in the movie—which makes it all the more devastating when he goes “missing.” Wendell claims he ran away, but let’s be honest: anyone with a pulse knows this guy probably turned the attic into a primate crime scene.
Dinner with the Perkins Family: A Masterclass in Awkward
Emily invites Louise to meet her family, and in the most exciting moment of the midsection, Louise “accidentally” breaks a cherished figurine belonging to Emily’s uptight mother. This is meant to show us her simmering resentment, but it mostly shows us how long this movie will milk a quiet-room stare-down. Even the chimp had better pacing.
The Wheelchair Reveal
In a rare burst of action, Louise takes Wendell to the park, where his wheelchair tips over—only for him to stand up like he’s auditioning for Chariots of Fire. Turns out he’s been faking paralysis for years to keep her as his personal servant. Louise responds by shoving him down a hill, accidentally killing him. It’s the film’s big catharsis, but it’s staged with all the energy of a mildly annoyed grocery shopper pushing a cart.
Finally, The Attic… and Oh, Look—Murder
After killing Dad, Louise hunts for his hidden money, finds a key, and unlocks the long-sealed attic. Inside: the corpse of poor Dickie, and the long-dead body of her missing fiancé, Robert—both victims of Wendell. It’s the kind of revelation that should leave you gasping, but the film delivers it with the impact of someone reading the weather report.
Final Word: Dusty in All the Wrong Ways
The Attic promises psychological horror and delivers dust, ennui, and one dead chimp. Ray Milland chews the scenery like it’s made of sponge cake, Snodgress spends most of her screen time staring into existential middle distance, and the whole thing ends with you wondering why you didn’t just rewatch Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?—a movie that knew how to make caretaker psychodrama actually insane.
