The Dark Eyes of London
                  
Director: Walter Summers
Year:  1939
Rating: 6.0
AKA - The Human Monster

In 1939 Bela Lugosi whose career had certainly slipped from his fame as Dracula to B horror films went off to pre World War II London to appear in this English B horror/crime film that gained some fame for being the first English film to get an "H" rating meaning only 16 and up could get into the film. Looking at it today of course you have to wonder why but it is a bit gruesome and has some wonderful creepy scenes in it. The English film censors were always much more sensitive to horror films than in the USA. In terms of screen time Lugosi probably only has the third most time, but without him this would have been forgotten long ago. It was later picked up by Monogram and released in the USA as The Human Monster. This is based on a 1924 novel titled The Dark Eyes of London from Edgar Wallace in which he creates the character of Dr. Orloff which is transferred to this film and then the name of Dr. Orloff was to be used first by Jess Franco and others in their horror films.



Dead bodies begin washing ashore from the Thames - shown in some detail for this period - who appear to have drowned. But the Superintendent of Scotland Yard becomes suspicious and assigns Inspector Holt (Hugh Williams) to look into it. Another man shows up dead and Holt finds his daughter Diana (Greta Gynt) who has just come from America and involves her in his investigation. Eventually, he realizes that these victims all had insurance policies from Dr. Orloff who sells insurance on the side when he isn't being a mad scientist. Orloff is of course Lugosi - and perhaps because the two leads - Williams and Gynt are so colorless - you are grateful every time Lugosi shows up switching from charm to menace in the blink of an eye.



He also has ties to an institute for the blind and this is where all the good stuff comes in - it is in a dilapidated old house full of dust and cobwebs run by a friendly old man but watching the blind men walk around like zombies is pretty chilling and later during a gas attack it is done brilliantly. One of the blind men (Wilfred Walter wonderfully made up to be terrifying) is a giant of a man - sort of a combination of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Frankenstein but with worse teeth and even though blind he is very talented in tracking people over London and killing them. The final 15 minutes of the 73 minute film are great though it can be a little clunky at times before that. There is a bit of a twist at the end in which accents make no sense but what the heck.