This is an excellent, very compelling thriller, with strong sense of place and atmosphere, and a terrific performance by ill-fated (in real life) child star Bobby Driscoll. (See thread I created on his TMDb message board.) Everyone, including the director, and the behind-the-camera talent with outstanding cinematography, does a great job.

[SPOILERS FOLLOW]

I remember first seeing this at some point when I was a kid. It thereafter always stuck with me. You totally "get" Tommy's feeling of helplessness, realizing that he's on his own. Then, when his well-meaning father nails Tommy's bedroom window so he won't/can't leave, then also locks shut the door of the room, while both parents go away for the day, you just know things won't go well. Ditto when, later on, Tommy is in a cab, kidnapped by the Kellersons, he screams out, frantically, to the cop on the corner - and even the cop doesn't take him seriously, and just thinks he's the Kellersons' kid who's throwing a bratty fit. Ugh.

I'm always impressed with the rooftop and stairway scenes. You really understand Tommy's world and reality. All the photography in this is superb.

This is an intense very well told and performed story.