A Stranger Came Home

1954 British film by Terence Fisher

A Stranger Came Home (U. S. title: The Unholy Four; also known as The Stranger) is a 1954 British film noir directed by Terence Fisher and starring Paulette Goddard, William Sylvester and Patrick Holt. It is based on the 1946 novel Stranger at Home, credited to actor George Sanders but ghostwritten by Leigh Brackett. The film was released in the United States by Lippert Pictures.

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.

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

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." 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." Leonard Maltin called it "Muddled." Allmovie called it a "suspenseful drama." 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."