The Corruption of Chris Miller (1973)

The Corruption of Chris Miller (1973) is a Spanish psychological horror film directed by Juan Antonio Bardem. Set in a rural mountain community in Spain, it follows the story of a woman who allows a temporary guest to stay in her home while her husband is away. The man, wearing a Charlie Chaplin mask from the home, turns violent when she asks him to leave and stabs her to death. Meanwhile, teenage Christine ‘Chris’ Miller has recently been discharged from a psychiatric institution after suffering a violent rape and abandonment by her father. She goes to live with her stepmother Ruth in their large country home. Shortly after her arrival, Ruth discovers a young and charming drifter named Barney Webster sleeping in their barn.

Initially ordering him to leave, Ruth eventually becomes enchanted by Barney. As a result, she permits him to remain on the property and work as a handyman for her. While also attempting to woo Ruth, Barney sets his sights on seducing Chris. However, Chris is plagued by recurring memories of a humiliating incident in her school’s communal showers. Whenever there is a storm or running water, these memories resurface and cause Chris severe distress. One night during a rainstorm, while in the basement of the house, Barney witnesses one of Chris’s traumatic flashbacks and observes her enter an uncontrollable state, wielding a knife violently. Convinced that Barney triggered this episode, Ruth angrily forces him out of the house at gunpoint into the darkness of the night.