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Thrillers such as Footsteps in the Fog, which depend upon extremely intricate plotting, can be difficult to pull off: one misstep and the whole house of cards comes tumbling down. Fortunately, Footsteps has an expertly crafted screenplay that is as sure of foot as they come. The twists and turns follow naturally, avoiding falling into the trap of being merely mechanical and becoming a puzzle in which the pieces all fit together but don't create a picture with real impact. Of course, a film is more than simply a screenplay, and Footsteps is fortunate to have both a fine director and a sterling cast. Arthur Lubin does a marvelous job of creating and maintaining tension and of giving the film the appropriate Victorian feel. He's a bit too leisurely with his pacing in a few instances, but otherwise his direction is just what is called for. Footsteps also benefits from an ideally cast Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons. Granger, who sometimes suffered from roles that were simply outside his range, is excellent playing the sly and superficial cad, and Simmons is a scheming delight. Add in some solid support from Bill Travers, Finlay Currie, and Ronald Squire, and the result is a first-rate murder mystery.