Anthony Hopkins Reveals the “Weird, Dark” Film That Traumatized Him For Life

Anthony Hopkins has shared which film terrified him as a child, and it’s not what you might expect. The Oscar-winning actor revealed that a 1947 movie called Moss Rose left a lasting impression on him, even though the Motion Picture Association rated it just PG.

Hopkins would have been around 10 years old when he saw the film, a prime age for being affected by what he describes as a “weird, dark” story.

In an interview with Lawrence Grobel, Hopkins said, “It was this weird dark movie with Victor Mature and Peggy Cummins about these girls who were killed because they were in love with this woman’s son.”

“This one scene when Peggy Cummins comes downstairs looking for her sister-in-law and she goes into this large room and there’s this fire burning grate and you see this dead woman, eyes open and all…that really scared me.”

Moss Rose is an American film noir directed by Gregory Ratoff and stars Peggy Cummins, Victor Mature, and Ethel Barrymore. The story is based on a 1934 novel by Marjorie Bowen, inspired by a real-life Victorian murder case.

The plot follows a music hall chorus girl, Belle Adair, also known as Rose Lynton, who blackmails a gentleman named Michael Drego after witnessing him leave the home where another dancer, Daisy Arrow, was murdered. Rose demands to be invited into Drego’s stately home rather than accepting money, and she ends up forming friendships with his mother, Lady Margaret Drego, and his fiancée, Audrey Ashton.

Things take a darker turn when Inspector Clinner, played by Vincent Price, arrives to investigate the murder further, and another death occurs under similar circumstances.

The cast also includes Margo Woode as Daisy Arrow, George Zucco as the butler Craxton, Patricia Medina as Audrey Ashton, Rhys Williams as Deputy Inspector Evans, and several supporting actors in smaller roles.

Despite its chilling story, the film was a commercial disappointment. Darryl F. Zanuck, who produced the movie, later called it “a catastrophe, for which I blame myself. Our picture was not as good as the original script and the casting was atrocious. The property lost $1,300,000 net.”

Critical reception at the time, however, was more positive. The New York Times’ Bosley Crowther praised the film, writing, “Readers of thriller fiction have been talking for quite some time about a writer called Joseph Shearing, whose many period mysteries are said to have a flavor and distinction all their own.”

“For Moss Rose…there is something to watch when she [Peggy Cummins] is acting besides the consequence of the makeup artist’s work. Her job as the Cockney chorus girl has spirit, humor and brass—and a surprisingly tender quality which nicely rounds the role.”

Variety also gave the film a favorable review, calling it a “good whodunit” and noting that “Gregory Ratoff’s direction develops considerable flavor to the period melodramatics. He gets meticulous performances from players in keeping with the mood of the piece.”

Even decades later, the dark imagery and suspense of Moss Rose clearly left a mark on Hopkins, showing just how powerful films can be, especially when experienced as a child.

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