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.
