Night of Terror (1933)

Time to dust off another oldie but maybe goodie? The movie opens with a couple in a convertible starring at the moon and stars. A creepy looking man sneaks up on them and then the camera pulls away as we hear a scream. What happened? Well, the newspaper headlines tell us that the Maniac, the name of the killer, has murdered another couple. Yeah, it didn’t end well for them at all. These is the latest murders in a spree that has been going on for a while.

We then see the Maniac sneak into an estate where the Rinehart family lives. Someone kills the patriarch, we are supposed to believe it was the Maniac, and later after the will is read we find out that the family is to spilt the inheritance evenly. The surviving members anyway… This leads to more death as there are less Rineharts left to split the cash as bodies keep popping up. There are also subplots about a friend of the family who is doing a weird experiment to prove you can live without breathing as well as a nosy reporter who is pursuing the beautiful young woman of the family, Mary. Mary is engaged to the doctor. All is revealed before the credits roll and that includes a couple fun twists.

Just a note before going any further. I enjoyed this movie despites some of the flaws I’ll mention below. I tried to write this review spoiler free, but it just didn’t work. I’m going to recommend checking it out so if you don’t want things ruined for you stop here. The movie is on YouTube as of the writing of this review so check it out.

Night of Terror is solid but not great. The story starts off with a bang but tapers off quickly with the family being introduced and time passing after the first murder in the house. I think moving time ahead a week breaks up the momentum created by the creepy opening. It does pick up towards the end but the pacing issues kick this down from being a great example of an Old Dark House style flick to being an okay one. For those unfamiliar with what I’m speaking about there was a whole subgenre of horror/mystery that involved murders, secret passages, killers hiding in the dark, and a beautiful heroine. The movie has all of these and plenty of it. The name comes from the first movie to do this but has it’s origins in some very popular and creepy stage plays from the twenties.

The cast is solid with the best performance coming from a very familiar face, Bela Lugosi, who plays the manservant and vaguely mystical Degar. He is used very well as a red herring. I mean of course Dracula guy had to be the killer, right? Nope. Though it a fun twist he does get to play the Maniac under piles of makeup. Another actor is credited with the role, but it is clearly Lugosi creeping around in the dark. I suppose he did get to be the killer though again maybe not. In another fun twist the Maniac is killing folks but here is used as cover for one of the family members who is knocking off the others to make his share of the inheritance even higher. There is a lot going on with Night of Terror and I’m all about it.

I should mention the other criticism I have about the movie is that we get zero chance of figuring out who the killer is. This leans more into the horror and less into the mystery, so I don’t think that is a dealbreaker for me. But it does need to be acknowledged. I almost included it in the mystery marathon but decided against it.

You already know that I’m recommending this one and that you can find it on YouTube. This is one of those public domain movies that are well worth spending an hour on. Lugosi was way more than just Dracula and this is one of the best examples of that fact. This is best watched in the dark without distractions (put the damn phone down!).

 

© Copyright 2023 John Shatzer

The Black Camel (1931)

I’m jumping all over the place with these Charlie Chan movies. This is one of the earlier entries and is maybe the second oldest surviving one around. As I’ve mentioned before there are older movies that are considered lost with the only copies having burned in a fire. As always when covering one of these if you have any questions to my thoughts on the casting of a white actor in an Asian role, please check this out. Now onto the review.

A film crew has arrived in Honolulu including the leading lady Shelah. On the way to the islands she met and fell madly in love with a fellow passenger, but before they can marry she insists on consulting her psychic Tarneverro. Here is where Chan enters the story as he intercepts Tarneverro and warns him not to practice his art. Basically he calls him out on being a faker, though Tarneverro implies that he and Chan only report on the subtle things that they observe. I think he basically outed himself as being a phony.

Chan also mentions the death or rather murder of an actor back on the mainland a couple of years earlier. This is important as when Tarneverro meets with Shelah he also brings it up. This leads to her admitting she knows who the murderer is and that later will reveal that to him. Before that happens, she turns up dead and the police are called. Now Chan is on the case for her murder, which connects to the one he was already looking into. Suspects are plentiful as the story plays out until in the end all is revealed.

This is an excellent movie and the only surviving one based on one of the four Earl Der Biggs novels which I think helps the story and plot a great deal. The other three were adapted but are among the lost films. They mystery is solid with the movie taking the time to give us many suspects who had both the motive and means. Then one by one they are either removed by the evidence or killed off by the real culprit. There is a lot going on and you must pay attention. Without spoiling anything I will let you know that The Black Camel does a wonderful job dropping clues that do point to the identity of the killer or killers. That is my number one must have for a mystery movie. It was also fun that my guess was totally wrong, but still plausible. The scriptwriting here is top notch.

This might be the best Warner Oland performance as Chan that I’ve seen, and I’ve watched most of these movies. It makes me sad that the missing films are his as if this any indication we are missing out on some great stuff. Unlike the jovial above it all portrayals from later in the series here Chan gets angry and frustrated at those around him. When he gets socked in the face he basically comes right out and lets the person responsible they will regret doing that. There is also a blink and you’ll miss it supporting appearance from Robert Young (Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby, M.D.) and an uncredited bit part played by Dwight Frye (Dracula, Frankenstein). Speaking of classic Universal horror, the legendary Bela Lugosi gets a rather meaty role as the psychic Tarneverro. Not only do we have a great story but an awesome cast as well!

Not sure what else I can say about this one to convince you to watch it. It is one of the best mystery movies that I’ve seen from the thirties. If you ever wanted to just dip your toes in to see if this sort of thing is for you then here is a good place to start. Personally, I will be revisiting it sooner rather than later. I highly recommend The Black Camel.

 

© Copyright 2023 John Shatzer

Night Monster (1942)

This is an interesting movie. Before I start with the review, I have to mention that I was surprised as to the quality of Night Monster. I thought I was in for another poverty row studio production, but this is a Universal flick! Which further confused me because it isn’t ever listed on their Horror lists, and this certainly feels like a horror movie. But then I suppose it could also be considered a mystery. Check out my plot synopsis and let me know where you think it belongs.

Things kick off with three doctors being brought to a creepy old house in the woods. The owner is a man named Kurt Ingston and he has summoned the doctors who treated him for a terrible illness. There treatments failed and left him a cripple, but they seem to think that him asking them to come stay for a weekend is still a way to thank them for trying. It isn’t. Instead, he wants to show them the results from training he received from a yogi named Agor Singh. He shows them that he can conjure a skeleton from a far off land. Before the show can continue it is interrupted.

We also have Igston’s daughter Margaret calling for a psychiatrist. She is distraught for reasons that never are completely shared but wants her own doctor to tell her if she is losing her mind or not. This is how we meet our heroine Dr. Harper and thru her our hero/her love interest Dick. There is also a house filled with creepy servants, including Bela Lugosi as the butler and some locals, including the sheriff. He arrives because there have been murders, including the former maid who was killed after quitting and trying to warn everyone about the weird stuff happening at the Ingston estate.

More folks die, the secrets are revealed, and we get a fun ending. All of this is wrapped up tightly in an entertaining seventy three minute runtime. Night Monster gets right to the good stuff with the creepy old house, lecherous limo driver, and Lugosi being his creepy self in the first couple scenes. I was sucked into the story and while I figured it out early on the first time I watched the movie it was still a good time watching how it unfolds. To be clear the viewing for this review is maybe my tenth time watching this one. It was one of those movies that played a lot on my local hosted late night shows, and I think Svengoolie plays it every so often as well. I can confirm that it never gets old and is fun on repeated watches.

The setting of the house with most of the action happening at night when it is properly foggy gives Night Monster just the right atmosphere. This is continued with the reveal of the creature as well as establishing the supernatural bits with the yogi summoning the skeleton. This as well as the look of the monster itself is well executed for the forties and I think still looks pretty good today. Toss in Lugosi’s menacing performance as the butler Rolf as well as Lionel Atwill’s appearance as one of the doomed doctors and you have some legit horror cred. Though it is odd that both were given small supporting roles.

The movie also does a wonderful job of blending the horror elements into that of a mystery. Though again it is obvious who the killer is and how they are likely doing it. But still there are a few questions here and there that need answered. I still think that Night Monster should be on the “official” list of Universal Horror movies and was included in the initial Shock Theater package from Universal that put so many of their classic monster movies on television in the fifties. Either way if you consider it horror or consider it a who done it this is still highly recommended. If you could consider any Universal movie from the forties a hidden gem this is it.

 

© Copyright 2023 John Shatzer

Invisible Ghost (1941)

Bela Lugosi stars as Charles Kessler. When we first meet him he is having his butler setup his anniversary dinner with his wife. Only there isn’t anyone in the other chair! That seems… odd. It turns out that his wife abandoned him and his daughter a few years earlier leaving town with her lover. He hasn’t gotten over it and has this odd tradition every year on their anniversary. We also hear the household staff talking about the murders, so something is clearly afoot!

Kessler’s daughter, Virginia, has her fiancé over. Thru some dialogue we find out that they are madly in love but that he has some history with the family’s maid that threatens to throw a monkey wrench into their plans. Here is where things get weird. We also find out that the family gardener has the missing wife in his basement. Apparently, the night she ran off there was a car accident, and she was injured, losing her mind. He doesn’t want to break Charles’ heart by letting him see her that way, so he keeps her hidden. But she gets out and when her husband sees her he goes into a murderous trance. Damn he is the killer! None of this should be considered spoilers because we see it right away.

The rest of the story has to do with Charles killing the maid, the fiancé being blamed, him getting executed, and then his brother (played by the same actor) showing up to find out the truth to what happened. Eventually he goes catatonic and murderous in front of the police and the end credits roll. This is a weird movie.

Bela Lugosi made a lot of these poverty row studio films, which is a fancy way of saying low budget movies for small studios. A surprising number of them are good and this is one of them. While not perfect Invisible Ghost tells a simple story with a decent twist. It keeps the costs down with a limited cast and locations. The only actor of note is Lugosi, but he is excellent in the role. Things are way more interesting with him on screen and luckily that happens a lot in Invisible Ghost. His transition from loving father to murderous killer is done with a subtle change in his body language and works well. You can see his experience as a classical trained theater actor coming across in his performance.

Lugosi gets a bad rap and is considered “hammy” by many modern horror fans. That isn’t at all fair as he was working during a time when the industry was still figuring out the difference between screen acting and stage acting. Many of his performances seem overblown because he was used to delivering dialogue so that the folks in the back row of the theater could hear them. He was also hindered by low budgets and admittedly terrible scripts. But he was a hell of an actor and if you give movies like Invisible Ghost a chance you will see that.

I suppose I will have to admit that despite all the positive stuff I’ve written above that this isn’t a perfect movie. I was a bit shocked when they killed off the fiancé as I thought for sure that saving him was going to be the plotline that drove the story to its conclusion. But other than that the rest of plot was predictable and of course they let us know who the killer is right away. Overall, this was a cheapie made to fill the second or third bill on a matinee showing and was there to kill an hour. It does that rather well, so it accomplished its goal. I did find it funny that there isn’t a ghost nor is anyone invisible. Maybe that is the big twist?  This is the Lugosi show and if you dig him then I recommend checking out Invisible Ghost.

 

© Copyright 2022 John Shatzer

You’ll Find Out (1940)

This looked interesting and I thought it was just another low budget movie from the “Poverty Row” studios that made quickie movies all thru the thirties and forties. I hadn’t heard of the star of the movie, Kay Kyser, but when I noticed some of the other cast, I got very excited about it. We get Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi, and Boris Karloff together for the first and only time. This is one heck of a collection of genre actors!

Kay Kyser is playing himself, a band leader that has some comedy bits mixed in his act to entertain the audience. His band, and that is how they are billed here, is hired to play a young woman’s twenty first birthday party. It is to take place at her aunt’s estate, which is of course a creepy old house in the middle of nowhere. We also find out that she thinks someone has been trying to kill her after she is nearly run down by a car. Something sketchy is definitely going on. They arrive at the house as a big storm blows in. Not long after their arrival the bridge blows up stranding them and the other guests at the house. More attempts are made to kill the young lady, secret passages and hidden doors are found. Bad guys are revealed, and music is made. Lots of music…

This isn’t a great movie. There is a lot of time spent watching the band do their act. I think there were five or six musical numbers, which was far too many for my taste. Though I understand that the movie was a vehicle for Kay Kyser who was I suppose very popular at the time. I can’t blame them for giving the audience at the time what they expected. We also get to see him try his hand at comedy, which isn’t very good. This clearly wasn’t Kyser’s thing and his hijinks as the band leader don’t translate well to the screen. They also used gags from what I think must have been their stage act and feature a couple of the horn section players as well. None of it played well with me. Maybe I’m spoiled by the Bowery Boys, Abbott and Costello, and of course the Three Stooges. But the timing and execution of the gags wasn’t great. 

These guys were awesome!

Where the movie is at its best is when the big three of Lugosi, Lorre, and Karloff are on screen. They don’t get a lot of scenes together, but when they do it is gold. Karloff is especially good as the family friend who we find out early is the bad guy. Yeah, this movie reveals what is going on far too early and ruins any actual mystery that might have been. Still three genre legends sharing the screen is a lot of fun to watch. There is one scene in particular where you can see the chemistry and magic of Lorre and Karloff going back and forth. Unfortunately, we don’t get a lot of this and that was a bummer. 

I wouldn’t consider this a recommendation. The movie has a lot of pacing issues as it just stops for musical numbers too often. This kills any momentum and makes for a bit of a boring viewing experience. I also just didn’t like the attempts at comedy from Kyser and his band. They just aren’t funny. I do dig the performances from the horror icons, but they aren’t on screen enough to save You’ll Find Out. The only reason to watch this is if you have the overwhelming need to see as many of these actor’s movies as possible. Then it might be worth a single watch. 

© Copyright 2022 John Shatzer

The Body Snatcher (1945)

This is one of the Val Lewton produced classic horror movies for RKO Pictures. It stars some familiar horror legends and is based on a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson. Oh, and it was directed by the legendary Robert Wise. I love this movie and was looking forward to watching it for review.

The story is set in a time where medical schools couldn’t get enough bodies to teach their students anatomy. So here the doctor, MacFarlane, is forced to work with an unsavory cabbie played by Boris Karloff. He does some graverobbing on the side and provides the resources necessary for the school to continue. When a little girl is brought in for a consultation MacFarlane uses the excuse that he doesn’t have a body to practice on to deny her a lifesaving but complicated procedure. This bothers his assistant who asks the cabbie for help. Since the graveyards are being guarded, he has to acquire it another way. Yeah, he kills a lady and collects his fee!

The doctors know what happened but are stuck because if the cabbie goes down so do they. That doesn’t stop another worker at the school, played by Bela Lugosi, from trying to blackmail Karloff’s character. I did say there was some talent here, didn’t I? More murder happens with some madness or perhaps supernatural revenge tossed in at the end for fun.

This is a fantastic creepy old horror movie. Karloff is amazing as the cabbie, Gray, being at times menacing and at others tender. He seems to genuinely like the little girl and when he finds out MacFarlane is refusing to help her uses his leverage to change his mind. He also kills somebody so they can practice before trying to help her. Yeah, he might be a bad guy, but he has a soft spot for the little girl. Karloff is such a great actor that this odd dichotomy of character makes sense. He makes you believe that Gray has those sides to his personality.

Another excellent performance is that of Lugosi. His part is much smaller, but he does shine when he goes to blackmail Karloff. The two of them share drinks in front of a fire with the back and forth between is a thing to behold. These guys are well into their careers and were wonderful actors so seeing them bounce dialogue off one another was a pleasure. We also have Henry Daniell, as MacFarlane. He was a working actor that appeared in almost a hundred projects. I know him best for an old Sherlock Holmes movie as well as one of the Charlie Chan flicks. But you all might remember him from The Four Skulls of Jonathon Drake. Again, there was a lot of talent on the screen.

The actors are only helped by an excellent script and direction from Robert Wise. He would go on to make movies like The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Andromeda Strain, and my personal favorite The Haunting. He keeps the action moving while still letting the actors do their job and create characters we can both root for and against. The cinematography is also outstanding and is gorgeous. Honestly there is nothing quite like a gothic black and white horror movie. The lighting creates all these creepy shadows and in the dramatic finale we also get lightning that reveals and then quickly hides some very important action.

I could keep going on but that would feel like I’m beating a dead horse. The Body Snatcher is a must see for anyone that is interested in older horror movies. I know that the Universal flicks are much better known but these Lewton produced RKO flicks are worth a look as well. I highly recommend this one and plan to cover more of them soon.

 

© Copyright 2021 John Shatzer

The Black Cat (1941)

There is a subgenre of horror commonly referred to as the old dark house movies. The name was inspired by the Old Dark House from 1932 and the common formula normally consists of a creepy house, hidden passages, and murder! At some point humor was added to spice things up. The Black Cat is a prime example of one of these movies.

The Winslow family has gathered for what they think is the death of the matriarch of the family. But she defies the odds, according to her doctor she is a miracle, and gleefully announces her continued existence to the assembled family. We are also introduced to our hero and the comic relief at this point. Son in law Montague has already made plans to sell the furniture and the house which brings Hubert for the house and an antique dealer named Mr. Penny for the contents. Hubert also has eyes for the granddaughter, Elaine. Hubert is present when someone tries to poison the old woman and when she later turns up dead he figures it was murder. This sets a series of events in motion that involve hidden passages, secret doors, more murders, and an attempted murder! Pretty much what you need from a movie like this. Oh yeah and there are a lot of cats. Really the old lady loved her cats.

Okay so I can’t really review this movie without giving away a couple of spoilers. This is an easy movie to find so if you are interested go find it now and watch it. Though be warned there are a lot of movies called the Black Cat. The one you are looking for is from 1941. If you proceed and feel I’ve ruined the movie for you… well you were warned.

I’ve always enjoyed the Black Cat. The story is solid and has several neat twists that keep things interesting. The cats, specifically the black one, and all the lore surrounding them is creepy. The idea if the black cat is following you it indicates that you will soon die adds a nice foreboding touch. The fact that the housekeeper who inherits control of the estate until the cats die freaks out when the black cat keeps showing up makes for some fun. While Bela Lugosi doesn’t get a lot of screen time it is effective. He plays the handyman who seems to be lurking around all the time. He is made a suspect right away and Hubert keeps looking for him. Turns out he is a decent guy, but it doesn’t end well for him. Playing on the audience’s expectations because Lugosi always seemed to be the mad scientist or bad guy was a clever ploy. Sadly, it was later overused in many lesser movies by poverty row.

No one did sets like old Hollywood. Amazing stuff!

Lugosi isn’t the only familiar face. We also get to see a young Alan Ladd who shot this before he really started to hit it big. Also playing the scheming Montague is the great Basil Rathbone. This leads to one of the best lines in the movie when Montague decides he has figured it out and is telling everyone what is going on. To which the Hubert character responds, “he thinks he’s Sherlock Holmes.” You know because that is what Rathbone was best known for… Did I really have to explain that?

The sets for The Black Cat are excellent and almost as important as the characters themselves. The house is spooky and filled with hidden passages and secret panels. There is a gimmick with a built-in bench that spins around that works really well. But best of all is the crematorium and crypt that was built for the cats complete with an odd-looking statue. It features heavily in the plot, as well as the ending. Which I have to say is fairly gruesome for a movie from the ‘40s.

I get that a lot of horror fans don’t enjoy “old” movies like this. That is a damn shame because it has excellent production values and a great cast. There is a lot here to like and I would hope that everyone gives it a shot. Consider it recommended.

© Copyright 2017 John Shatzer