Early Color Horror

 

 (tcm.com)

DOCTOR X-1932-Reporter Lee Taylor (Lee Tracy) investigates cannibalistic murders (The Moon Killer) that seemed tied to the medical research facility run by Dr. Jerry Xavier (Lionel Atwill). A few of his eccentric suspicious staff have had brushes with cannibalism. After he meets Xavier's daughter Joanne (Fay Wray), Taylor's almost done in by a cloaked monster but a trick cigar saves him. To avoid a scandal, Xavier asks the police to give him 48 hours to discover if the killer is on his staff. He sets up an elaborate machine that measures subjects' blood while recreating the murders. 

This early two-tone technicolor horror has great direction (from Michael Curtiz, who made MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM the next year), is very creepy in spots, has lots of suspects and some weird sfx but is brought down a bit by a static screenplay and an annoying wisecracking performance by Tracy.

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Karloff's Ghoul

 

 (imdb)

THE GHOUL-1933-0n his deathbed Prof. Morlant (Boris Karloff) prays to the Egyptian God Anubis and gives instructions to his servant Laing (Ernest Thesiger). It seems Morlant had a sacred jewel "The Eternal Light" in his possession. His lawyer (Cedric Hardwick) seems to want it. He tries to dissuade Morlant's nephew and heir Ralph (Anthony Bushell) from visiting the estate. Ralph hooks up with his cousin, Morlant's niece Betty (Dorothy Hyson) and they investigate along with Betty's comic relief roommate Miss Kaney (Kathleen Harrison). At the place they meet the lawyer and the servant and a bike riding priest (Ralph Richardson). They are also visited by Aga Ben Dragore (Howard Huth), former owner of the jewel and the knife wielding Mamoud (D, A. Clarke-Smith) who becomes the professor's first victim when he comes back to life. Laing is next as he stole the diamond not believing his master would be back. After Morant dies again, there's a couple of twists in the finale and the cousins get trapped in the burning tomb. It also seems the whole premise was not really supernatural. 

This Gaumont British UK production is dark, quirky and dated. It was the first film Karloff made in his homeland in 20 years and did well in England but failed at the US box office. It's also the only film Karloff made after his brief departure from Universal Pictures (he later signed a new contract with them). 

The film was thought lost for many years. In the late '60's William K. Everson discovered a battered and cut version of the film in a vault in Czechoslovakia (with Czech subtitles). Much later a negative of the film was found and restored. Director T. Hayes Hunter retired soon after making it. A year after THE GHOUL, Karloff had two highly acclaimed non-horror roles in THE LOST PATROL and THE HOUSE OF ROTHSCHILD and would get back into the horror swing of things in Edgar Ulmer's classic THE BLACK CAT (with Lugosi).

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The First Wolf

 

 (imdb)

WEREWOLF OF LONDON-1935-An English botanist Wilfred Glendon (Henry Hull) is bitten by a werewolf while searching for a rare plant in Tibet. Back in London his unhappy wife Lisa (Valerie Hobson; the same year as BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN) is courted by an American (Lester Matthews; in THE RAVEN the same year). Glendon is visited by Dr. Yogami (Warner Oland; well into the Charlie Chan series), who tells him of two cases of “werewolfery” in London. It seems Yogami is the werewolf that bit the Glendon in Tibet. When his hand turns hairy Glendon uses the plant, Moonlight Bloom to stop the transformation but he's warned by Yogami that the plant is not a cure but a temporary antidote. When Yogami steals another plant, the doc turns into a scary wolf man and goes hunting for the thing he loves the most. He almost kills his wife's aunt (Spring Byington) but kills a prostitute instead. Later he goes after the missus and is shot by the police inspector. 

WEREWOLF OF LONDON is a classic 1930's horror film from Universal pictures. The wolf man himself (Jack P. Pierce's make-up though he's uncredited) is quite scary even when he's wearing a hat and coat and there's a lot of spooky nighttime scenes. Director Stuart Walker only made 12 movies. Others include GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1934) (also with Henry Hull) and THE MYSTERY OF EDWARD DROOD (also 1935). He also did work on Paramount's “Bulldog Drummond” series around this time too.

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Early Monogram Horror

 

HOUSE OF MYSTERY-1934-Asia 1913-An unscrupulous archaeologist John Prendergast (Clay Clement) kills a monkey at a sacred temple. The head honcho puts a curse on him but he mocks them and uses a whip on the head guy, who summons a gorilla to kill Prendegast. However with the help of a "Hidi" dancing girl Chandra (Laya Joy aka Joyzelle Joyner; also in JUST IMAGINE) he escapes and flees with some treasures and the girl. 

20 years later The Potters, an absent minded professor (Harry C. Bradley) and shrewish wife (Mary Foy) who backed the expedition Prendegast headed, hire Jack Armstrong (Ed Lowry in his only feature film) to get the treasure back when they suspect Prendegast is living in a mansion in the suburbs. Prendergast agrees to meet the backers at his house to discuss a settlement. He's now a dying cripple because of the curse but agrees to give everyone their share if they agree to live with him for one week in his house. After they hold a seance people start dying at the hands of a gorilla prowling around the house. Prendegast says it's all because of the curse. A cloddish police chief (Irving Bacon) thinks otherwise. This old haunted house horror comedy/mystery (with unintentional humor) is unexciting but I liked the twist with the character of the dumb plumber. George “Gabby” Hayes is also in it. 

Director William Nigh had been an actor in silent films and producer who directed over a 100 films but is most remembered today for making the 5 “Mr. Wong” Monogram series of films with Boris Karloff. He also directed Karloff in a 5^th Monogram movie THE APE which along with HOUSE OF MYSTERY are credited as being based on the same play, “The Ape” by Adam Shirk. Nigh also made BLACK DRAGONS with Bela Lugosi in 1942.

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Walking Ghost

 

THE GHOST WALKS-1934-Theatrical producer Herman Woods (Richard Carle) and his beleaguered assistant Homer (Johnny Arthur) have car trouble during a storm. Their driver playwright Prescott Ames (John Miljan) takes them to the home of Dr. Kent (Henry Kolker) where his fiancee Gloria (June Collyer) happens to be. Also there is his rival Carroway (Douglas Gerrad). Also around is the spacey Beatrice (Eve Southern), Kent's patient who screams occasionally. Later at dinner Beatrice talks about a murder and that one of the present company is responsible for his death. 

At first it turns out to be a setup, a performance of Ames' play “The Ghost Walks” to impress Wood. But when Beatrice is murdered, it's no longer a play. Ames however can't convince Wood her death isn't part of the play. (her corpse disappears) Then a guard from a local sanitarium arrives to let everyone know a murderer has escaped. Later we learn the house they are in was once owned by a mad surgeon who committed suicide. 

Hidden doors, eyes looking through a painting, a deadly bed are just some of the strange goings on in this creaky but entertaining horror melodrama from director Frank S. Strayer CONDEMNED TO LIVE, THE VAMPIRE BAT).

https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2010/04/bats-and-rains.html 

https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/search?q=condemned+to+live

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The Walking Karloff

THE WALKING DEAD-1936-The public believes Judge Shaw (Joe King) will never sentence guilty gangster Stephen Martin (Kenneth Harland) to anything extreme but much to everyone's disbelief  Shaw gives the thug 10 years. His sleazy lawyer Nolan (Ricardo Cortez)) and mob boss Loder (Barton McLane) hire hit man Trigger Sith (Joe Sawyer) to kill the judge. They set up ex-con pianist John Ellman (Boris Karloff) to take the fall. Two lab assistants Jimmy (Warren Hull) and Nancy (Marguerite Churchill; in DRACULA'S DAUGHTER the same year)) know Ellman is innocent but stupidly she doesn't want them to say anything. Ellman is convicted and sentence to death (good going, guys). At the last minute they tell their boss Dr. Beaumont (Edmund Gwenn) and he tells the crooked lawyer (who defended Ellman and helped frame him). Of course he does nothing. Ellman dies but fortunately (?) Beaumont has a machine that brings Ellman back to life. 

When revived Ellman is the worse for wear and can't remember anything. But when he hears Nancy playing the piano he sits down and starts to play. When he sees Nolan he calls him his enemy. Beaumont calls a conference with other egghead types that Loder, Nolan and their weak willed cronies also attend. They all get guilty conscientious and want to hire the same hit man as before but Ellman scares Trigger and he shoots himself. He then scares another member who's hit by a train and causes another to have a heart attack and fall out a window. 

Beaumont becomes kind of obsessed with knowing what Ellman felt when he was dead. Ellman leaves to walk around a cemetery and Mary follows him. Unbeknownst to her Loder and Nolan trail her. They shoot Ellman and get away. On his second death bed, Ellman tries to explain what death was like but dies before anything can be said. Ironically, Loder and Nolan are electrocuted when their getaway car crashes into an electric pole. 

Karloff is very sympathetic in the lead but doesn't have much dialogue. Director Michael Curtiz also made THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE the same year. Co-star Ricardo Cortez was in POSTAL INSPECTOR with Lugosi the same year. 

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Humphrey Bogart Blood Sucker

THE RETURN OF DOCTOR X-1939-Walter Garrett (Wayne Morris), a dumb reporter breaks the news of the death of an actress Angela Merrova (Lya Lys) but her body disappears and when she winds up alive, Garrett's fired. He goes to his friend Dr. Rhodes (Dennis Morgan) for advice. Rhodes does an operation with the brilliant Dr. Flegg (John Litel). When a body is found drained of blood the police think Rhodes is the murderer. Strange bloodstains are found on the scene. Rhodes visits Flegg and meets his weird assistant Quesne (Humphrey Bogart), a soft spoken pale guy with a white streak in his hair. When Merrova suddenly dies (for real), Garrett and Rhodes investigate along with the doc's nurse/girlfriend Joan (Rosemary Lane) in tow. Later Garrett discovers that Quesne is actually Dr. Xavier, a whacko who let a baby die as an experiment and was executed years before. They dig up his coffin and it's empty. Flegg admits that after bringing a rabbit back to life he did the same for X/Quesne and knows Quesne is a murderer and he is to blame. X/Q kills Flegg and kidnaps Joan for her blood (he has a book with the names of all blood donors who have his type). Before he can kill her he's shot and killed in NJ. 

Olin Howland plays an undertaker. Two interns are played by William Hopper and Glen Langan. Huntz Hall is Pinky and Ian Wolfe is a caretaker. 

This is a typical Warner Bros type “stand alone” horror/murder mystery with an untypical horror lead. The casting of Bogart is the only reason it's probably remembered today! It was directed by former actor Vincent Sherman who later worked with Bogart on ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT.

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Atwill In Wax

MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM-1933-Eccentric and brilliant Ivan Igor (Lionel Atwill) owns a wax museum. His greedy partner burns the place down (with Igor in it) to collect the insurance money. A year later Igor is hiding out, a cripple. A disfigured guy in a long coat and top hat steals a dead female body from the morgue. Florence (Glenda Farrell) a wise talking reporter is practically fired from her job by her boss (Frank McHugh) unless she gets a story. 

Meanwhile Ralph (Allen Vincent), a sculptor who works for Igor introduces his girlfriend Charlotte (Fay Wray; the same year as KING KONG) to his boss. Igor believes she will be a perfect model for his Marie Antoinette figure. When she goes to visit Ralph at the museum at night Igor puts the moves on his “Marie”. She discovers his secrets. He can walk and has a wax mask covering his deformed face. Oh yeah, he's also mad (well, I wouldn't be happy about it myself). Fortunately, the police break in, Igor falls into a vat of wax and Charlotte is saved. Florence gets a great story and marries her boss. 

This classic horror tale from Warner Bros. was filmed in an early type of two tone Technicolor by director Michael Curtiz. Though the process was unpopular and costly it gives the film an eerie quality. Curtiz's other horror film from the year previous DOCTOR X was also filmed in the two tone process (with Atwill and Wray). MYSTERY was the last to use it.

Of course this was remade as HOUSE OF WAX IN 1953 with Vincent Price!

https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2008/07/this-price-is-right.html

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I'm Ravin'

THE RAVEN-1935-Judge Thatcher's daughter is near death after a car crash. He (Samuel S. Hinds) implores the famous but retired Dr. Vollin (Bela Lugosi) to perform life saving surgery on the “root nerves at the base of the brain”. The Edgar Allen Poe loving doctor (“It's more than a hobby”) finally agrees and the operation is a success. A month later the organ playing doc is obsessed with his patient Jean Thatcher (Irene Ware) who doesn't respond to his come-ons as she is engaged to a doctor named Jerry (Lester Matthews). The judge has his suspicions and tells Vollin to steer clear of his daughter. Vollin couldn't care less and tells the judge he wants his daughter and will get her. Later a wanted criminal named Bateman (Boris Karloff) who “shot his way out of San Quentin” and later killed a guy with a blowtorch wants Vollin to give him a new face. Vollin does but gives him a deformed face and blackmails him into doing his bidding if he wants a real face. Vollin invites The Judge and Jean and Jerry and some others to his place. Bateman is his disfigured but sympathetic butler. Jean wins Bateman's heart when she apologizes to him after initially being frightened by him. The Judge still insists Vollin is mad despite everyone else's flip attitude. 

The nutty doctor has a recreation of Poe's “The Pit and The Pendulum” in his basement and makes Bateman strap the judge on the pendulum. A crazy climax ensues with Bateman saving the day but dying and Vollin crushed to death. Bela says “Death is my talisman", “I'm the sanest man who ever lived” and “I like to torture” and is very insane in the leading role. It's usually said that this is kind of “Bela's movie” where he has the biggest stand out role and it's true in a way. But Karloff snags the more sympathetic role and intimately becomes 'the hero”. It was a big year for Boris (billed as “Karloff”) as he also made THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and THE BLACK ROOM. Bela wasn't exactly sitting on his hands either making MARK OF THE VAMPIRE for Tod Browning, starring in THE RETURN OF CHANDU and THE MYSTERY OF THE MARY CELESTE. Director Louis Freidlander (later known as Lew Landers) would direct both horror stars separately years later: Lugosi in THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE and Karloff in THE BOOGIE MAN WILL GET YOU.

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Universal Horror Classic

SON OF FRANKENSTEIN-1939-At Castle Frankenstein, several years after the events in BRIDE, broken necked Ygor (Bela Lugosi) hangs around scaring children. Frankenstein's son Wolf (Basil Rathbone) comes to town to collect his inheritance. He brings along his wife Elsa (Josephine Hutchinson) and young son Peter (Donnie Dunagan). They have no idea what they are getting into! 

It's great to see Karloff back as the monster (in Jack Pierce's legendary make-up) for the last time even if he really doesn't do much until the finale. Another highlight is the clipped banter between Wolf and the memorable Inspector Krogh (Lionel Atwill) whose wooden arm replaces the one the monster “tore out by the roots” when he was a child. And of course there's Lugosi's Ygor, the broken necked body snatcher who was once pronounced dead (“They die dead. Ygor died live!”) who now uses the revived monster to carry out his revenge on those who condemned him (including Lionel Belmore). Ward Bond has a small unbilled role and some viewers claim Dwight Frye is also in it! 

Producer-director Roland V. Lee keeps things interesting with cavernous sets and shadowy lighting plus a gigantic sulfur pit. The screenplay was written by Willis Cooper, creator the the radio show “Lights Out”. SON, two Mr. Moto entries and providing the story for the serial THE PHANTOM CREEPS with Lugosi) were about all his film credits. SON kind of “ushered out” the first wave of horror films in the sound era and they would never be the same there after...

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Universal Classic

THE INVISIBLE RAY-1936-This was the third teaming of Karloff & Lugosi. It's more science fiction than their previous two outings (THE BLACK CAT and THE RAVEN) which emphasized horror.

Karloff (in his last role when he was billed just by his last name) is Janos Rukh, a scientist who's a bit loony because he blames himself for his mother's blindness. At special meeting he uses a kind of "magnetic ray" to show that a meteorite landed in Africa a million years ago. Lugosi is the skeptical Dr. Benet who invites Rukh to join him on an African expedition funded by Sir Francis (Walter Kingsford) and his dowager wife (Beulah Bondi) so he can find the meteorite and extracted the mysterious "Radium X".  Unfortunately he becomes radioactive, glows in the dark and his touch kills (his first victim is his dog). Seeking help he goes to Benet who concocts a serum that works temporarily. Rukh returns to his research and "harnesses" the radium in a ray gun that can destroy anything. He gets crazier when Benet says he will reveal Rukh's discovery when he returns to France.

Things don't get any better when Rukh learns Diane has left with Ronald. Later Rukh returns to France and cures mom's blindness. And then another shock! Although Benet promised Rukh would be credited with the discovery of Radium X a newspaper article makes it sound like it's Benet's find. Rukh decides on an evil plan then fakes his death. Diana marries Ronald and Rukh plots his revenge. He imagines some stone statues are his intended victims. After killing Sir Francis, he destroys a statue. Benet suspects Rukh immediately and sets up a scientific gathering to trap him (just before he's killed). The trap doesn't work but Mrs. Rukh (Violet Kemble Cooper) shows up at the climax to do her son in. Frank Reicher has one short scene as a victim.

TIR is a pretty cool ahead of it's time story. The sequence where Rukh explains about the meteorite crashing on Earth is very well done.  Although director Lambert Hillyer made the stylish cult film DRACULA'S DAUGHTER the same year and would make the first serial version of BATMAN in 1943 he would become better known for the many westerns he did from the early forties till the earlier fifties when he went into TV.

Screenwriter John Colton (who died in 1946) was also a playwright (RAIN, UNDER CAPRICORN) wrote THE WEREWOLF OF LONDON  the same year.

PS: The scene where Karloff (with a helmet and visor on) is lowered into a crater to retrieve the Radium X was later used in a chapter of the Lugosi serial THE PHANTOM CREEPS!

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Seems Like Hammer But It Isn't-Part 2

MADHOUSE-1974-Entertaining Amicus/AIP production features Vincent Price as Paul Toombes a famous horror actor who may have taken his most famous role of Dr. Death too far and killed his fiancé (after learning she was once a porno actress). Scenes from real Price horror films (HOUSE OF USHER THE RAVEN TALES OF TERROR PIT AND THE PENDULUM) are shown to depict the fictional Toombs’ career. Fellow actor Peter Cushing brings him out of retirement for a stupid TV producer (Robert Quarry) and people start getting killed. Also with Adrienne Corri. Natasha Pyne Linda Hayden and Barry Dennen.

It’s ok but a little reminiscent of THEATER OF BLOOD though it’s based on the novel “Devilday” by horror writer Angus Hall. After this Price would make only two films (but do voiceovers and make TV appearances) until 1980. It was the last of 7 films by usual film editor Jim Clark. 

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Old Zoo Revue

MURDERS IN THE ZOO-1933-The always great Lionel Atwill is a millionaire who collects animals for a zoo. The movie opens with him sewing a man's mouth shut for trying to kiss his wife! Kathleen Burke (Lota The Panther Woman in ISLAND OF LOST SOULS the same year) is Atwill's philandering wife, plotting to runaway with John Lodge. Randolph Scott (who had an un-billed "beast man" role in ISLAND OF LOST SOULS) is a zoo lab technican working with snakes. The sinister story however suffers from the comical antics of Charles Ruggles as a fast talking press agent. Like after fainting from fright he says "Is there a good laundry in town?" Atwill gives a party at the zoo where the guests are surrounded by wild animals but it's ruined when Lodge is bitten by a snake and dies (how convenient!).

Atwill gives a terrific performance as the high class but obsessed husband who eventually throws Burke in an alligator pit and pins two murders on Scott's character. His demise is pretty memorable too. Gail Patrick plays Scott's love interest/assistant.

Atwill made the classic MYSTERY IN THE WAX MUSEUM and THE VAMPIRE BAT the same year. John Lodge ended his career playing Luther The Bersek in the low budget horror film THE WITCHMAKER in 1969.

Strangely director A. Edward Sutherland later directed WC Fields in POPPY (1936), Laurel & Hardy in THE FLYING DEUCES (1939) and Abbott & Costello's film debut ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS in 1940!
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