What propels "Pitfall" into the ranks of a chilling film noir drama is the appearance of a ruthless sociopath willing to destroy all in his path to secure his objective, which in this case is possessing a woman, body and soul. "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.