House by the River is a 1950 film noir directed by Fritz Lang. The movie is based on a novel by A.P. Herbert titled The House by the River. The film stars Louis Hayward as Stephen Byrne, a successful writer who lives with his wife Marjorie (played by Jane Wyatt) and their housemaid Emily (played by Dorothy Patrick) in a house by the river.
One day, while Marjorie is away, Stephen makes advances towards Emily, but she rejects him. Enraged, Stephen accidentally kills Emily and tries to cover up the crime by dumping her body in the river. When Emily is reported missing, suspicion falls on Stephen's brother John (played by Lee Bowman), who had been seen in the area around the time of her disappearance.
Stephen manipulates the evidence to make it seem like John is guilty, but as the investigation proceeds, Stephen becomes increasingly paranoid and his behavior becomes more erratic. His obsession with covering up his crime leads to a confrontation with Marjorie, who finally realizes the terrible truth about her husband.
The film was noted for its portrayal of Stephen's sociopathic behavior and Lang's use of dramatic lighting and camera angles to heighten the tension. However, it was criticized for its depiction of the housemaid as a passive victim and the use of racial stereotypes in the original novel.