What propels "Pitfall" into the ranks of a chilling film noir drama is the appearance of a ruthless sociopath (Raymond Burr) willing to destroy all in his path to secure his objective, which in this case, is to possess a woman's body and soul (Liz Scott) despite her unyielding rebuff to him, whom she detests. Both her boyfriend and a current love interest who is having an extra marital affair with her, fall into the cross hairs of the sociopath whose maniacal efforts will enable him to secure (Scott) for himself. "Pitfall" came along when post-World War II film noir was generating cash and artistic dividends by interpreting life in Cold War society. Mental toughness was needed and film noir was a vehicle that displayed that on-screen quality.
