THE MONSTER WALKS (1932)
Article #100 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 6-24-2001
Posting date: 11-7-2001

When her uncle dies, a woman finds she is to inherit his fortune. Attempts are then made on her life. Is it the ape locked up in the basement that has always hated her? Is it the man in the wheelchair whom everyone suspects, but who can’t walk? Or is it…

Yes, folks, we’re taking another trip into the old dark house. This is pretty standard stuff, and I figured out who the killer was long before the movie was over; it was a simple matter of figuring out which character wasn’t suspected by any of the others. The movie is mainly noteworthy for two things. It was one of the first screen appearances of Willie Best (as Sleep ‘n’ Eat) in one of those stereotyped comic black roles that is embarassing to watch nowadays. The other is that it uses a full-grown chimpanzee as the ape rather than a man in a gorilla suit. We’re so used to seeing only baby chimps in films that it is rather novel to see a full-grown one. The downside of this is that we don’t really perceive chimps as dangerous animals, though I’ve heard that in reality they can be some of the most temperamental and dangerous of the apes. Still, gorillas simply look more threatening, and perhaps they would have better off with a man in a gorilla costume.

METROPOLIS (1926)
Article #99 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 6-23-2001
Posting date: 11-6-2001

An industrialist makes use of a newly invented robot to cause unrest among the workers at his factory.

First of all, I have to point out that my copy of this movie has the most godawful soundtrack I have ever heard; it sounds like someone slapped on the cheeriest good-time music they could find onto the soundtrack without the slightest care or any sense of appropriateness to the story. I have to turn the sound down completely, or the movie becomes unwatchable; it’s more palatable completely silent than with the music it has. It also runs about ninety minutes, and it’s in pretty ragged condition. All of which I mention simply to point out that these circumstances may very well color my opinion of what is generally considered one of the great classics of science fiction. When and if I encounter a superior copy of the movie, I will revise this review accordingly.

At any rate, that the movie is a visual treat is a given; the factory sequences are absolutely hypnotic, and the sets are stunning. It is simply one of the great visions of the future, and would be worth watching for this reason alone. I do have some problems with the story; the mad scientist Rotwang, though he is no doubt somewhat archetypal, seems to me somewhat out of place in the story, which is more concerned with social issues, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why Fredersen wants the workers to revolt. Nonetheless, both Brigitte Helm and Rudolf Klein-Rogge give memorable performances. Perhaps someday a better print will help me to give a fairer assessment to this movie.

THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932)
Article #98 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 6-22-2001
Posting date: 11-5-2001

Nayland Smith tries to prevent the arch-criminal Fu Manchu from acquiring the Mask and the Sword of Genghis Khan, items with which he would be capable of ruling the world.

I’d heard about this movie for years before I’d had a chance to see it, as my local Creature Feature never got around to any of MGM’s horror movies. It’s pretty nasty stuff for its time; I don’t think I’ve ever seen Karloff as viciously evil as he is in this role, and the tortures he devises are quite cruel. It can be a bit of fun if you don’t take it seriously, otherwise, the racism may leave a fairly bad taste in your mouth. It also features Myrna Loy as Karloff’s daughter, and she’s even more evil than he is.

MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (1935)
Article #97 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 6-21-2001
Posting date: 11-4-2001

Sir Karell Borotyn has been killed, apparently at the hands of a vampire. Now it seems that the same vampire may be after his daughter, Irena. Professor Zelen is brought in to fight the vampire.

This movie features Lionel Barrymore (as Zelen), Bela Lugosi (as Count Mora), Carol Borland (a devotee of Lugosi’s; this is her only prominent role, but she has developed a cult following on the strength of it) and Lionel Atwill. It’s basically a reworking of two of Browning’s other movies, LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT and DRACULA. The ending tends to stick in the craw of horror fans for a very good reason and, even though I find it interesting enough to avoid giving it the Rubber Brick award, nonetheless it had the potential to be a lot more satisfying than DRACULA if it had delivered on its promises. As it is, we may just have to settle for the fact that it has some very moody and effective moments before it reaches that point.

MANIAC (1934)
Article #96 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 6-20-2001
Posting date: 11-3-2001

An insane doctor and his insane ex-actor assistant perform bizarre operations on the dead. When the assistant kills the doctor, he uses his makeup skills to impersonate him.

I pity the psychiatrist that uses this film as a primer on the various types of madness that it purports to represent. Instead, what they’ll find is an exploitative rehash of various themes from Edgar Allan Poe. Dwain Esper specialized in movies like this, which were made outside the auspices of the Hollywood system and could thumb their noses at the self-censorship imposed therein; so this film treats us to some early nudity, some nasty and rather sick violence (two women attack each other with hypodermic needles) and a man pulling out and eating the eye of a cat. It also has some of the wildest overacting you’re apt to see in a long time, especially from a man who is injected with superadrenaline and rants about his brain being on fire. It’s pretty bad, but as an artifact of sorts, it can be quite fascinating at the same time.

M (1931)
Article #95 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 6-19-2001
Posting date: 11-2-2001

A child murderer is loose in the city. As a result of their inability to catch the murderer, the police are taking out their frustration by making constant raids against the regular criminal elements of the city. The various crime guilds, feeling that they will only get the police off their backs when the murderer is caught, decide to catch him themselves.

This is far and away my favorite Fritz Lang film, only marginally horror but almost always included in any comprehensive list of horror movies. I’m always amazed by the skill used in making this film. The first ten minutes of the movie manages to capture the horror of the situation without showing a shred of violence; it’s done entirely through suggestion, images, and editing, and it’s blood-chilling. Peter Lorre gave a career-making performance as the murderer, and the rest of the cast is fine as well, especially Otto Wernicke as Inspector Karl “Fatty” Lohmann.

I’m truly impressed at how well Lang handled his first talkie; he uses sound masterfully in telling his story without ever letting the visual quality suffer in the least. I’m also surprised at how much humor is to be found in the movie when you consider the subject matter; in fact, one of my favorite comic moments of all time is in this film (specifically, Lohmann’s reaction when he discovers what the criminals were looking for in the office building). I also love the editing; the part where the movie cuts back and forth between two meetings, one with the police and the other with the criminals, is engrossing.

This movie is on my top ten list of any movies in any genre.