review for Behind Locked Doors on AllMovie

It is common practice these days to label almost any crime drama of vintage late '40s and early '50s as film noir. Behind Locked Doors is no exception, but the label is a true misnomer this time around. Yes, Richard Carlson does play a private eye, but he is no disillusioned cynic nor is his first client, Bette Davis-lookalike Lucille Bremer, a lady with something to hide. In the same vein, Behind Locked Doors is a straightforward crime drama, cameraman Guy Roe's murky photography and allusions to "snake pit"-complexity notwithstanding. A victim of its public domain status, the thriller has more recently been reissued as Human Gorilla, distributors apparently hoping to attract cult film aficionados by playing up the minimal presence of Bad Movie-icon Tor Johnson. Such audiences will presumably be disappointed to discover a decent little programmer, well-directed by Oscar Boetticher (later Budd Boetticher), and featuring a fine cast of Hollywood professionals.