YMMV / The Spiral Staircase

• Complete Monster:
  • 1946 original: Professor Albert Warren was the son of a wealthy man who saw both him and his half-brother Steven as weak. Following their father's death, Albert took it upon himself to become strong by ridding the world of what he saw as imperfections. First killing a servant girl by pushing her down a well, he then began a string of murders in his hometown of women who had some sort of disability, killing only when his half-brother was visiting in order to cast suspicion on him. Targeting his mute maid Helen, Albert tricks the other occupants of the Warren mansion into getting out of the way in order to have the opportunity to kill her. Along the way, Albert also kills an able-bodied woman named Blanche because she didn't love him back. Albert showed no sign that his murders would have stopped with Helen, and he would have continued them indefinitely.
  • 1975 remake: Dr. Joe Sherman is the Serial Killer plaguing the small town. A vicious ableist who believes weakness and impurity cannot be tolerated, Joe hunts and murders disabled women. Upon his mute niece Helen Mallory arriving at his home, Joe torments her and ultimately tries to murder her after locking his own brother away.