MOVIE • 1912

Conscience

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More a cautionary moral tale than anything else, Conscience makes use of a setting that was to become a horror movie favourite: the chamber of horrors. Persuaded to elope by her lover Eric, Eleanor Donelly defies her police officer brother to go to New York, where the young couple are married. Soon deserted by Eric and desperate for food for her baby, Eleanor tries to steal a bottle of milk. Fleeing in terror from a policeman, she takes refuge in a chamber of horrors. Coincidentally, fallen among disreputable companions, Eric has meanwhile accepted a wager daring him to spend a night in the same chamber of horrors. In the morning, seeing Eleanor in the shadows as she wakes and rises, Eric dies of fright while Eleanor goes mad.