Albert S. Rogell’s Before I Wake (US: Shadow of Fear) doesn’t quite possess the thick atmosphere or production value to qualify as a Gothic noir, but Gothic fans will still enjoy its simple story of a young heiress returning home to confront a creepy stepmother even if it’s been done a lot better in other films. Returning home to England from her American college after her father dies mysteriously in a boating accident, April Haddon (Mona Freeman) meets her stepmother Florence (Jean Kent) for the first time, and she’s not impressed: Florence falsely smears April’s dead mother as an alcoholic, trivializes the household furniture and art as “dust collectors,” and forbids April from smoking (“But I enjoy smoking,” says April. “What harm is there in it?”) It seems April will inherit most of her father’s fortune if she makes it to her 21st birthday in a few weeks, so she needs to watch her back as Florence’s gaslighting tricks become more desperate (Kent plays the role as more annoying than menacing, but maybe that’s the point). Maxwell Reed is on hand as a local doctor who grew up with April and feels a protective instinct toward her. While the film is based on a novel by Brett Halliday, the confined domestic sets and lack of action make it feel more like a fun stage play.