THE FACE AT THE WINDOW (1939)
Article #903 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-4-2003
Posting Date: 2-1-2004
Directed by John King
Featuring Tod Slaughter, Marjorie Taylor, John Warwick

A bank clerk is being framed for a series of ghastly murders caused by a villain called “The Wolf” involving a horrible face appearing at the window.

Tod Slaughter’s over-the-top melodramas aren’t really horror movies for the most part, but they are lurid enough to get at least marginal consideration in the genre. This is one in which the horror elements are much more overt, particularly that of the truly hideous face at the window. Slaughter chews the scenery a little less than usual in this one, partially because his character is a little more refined than his usual roles, but fans needn’t worry; he still gets plenty of opportunities to be not only evil, but ludicrously evil. Ultimately, I would have to say that of the Slaughter movies I’ve seen, this one is probably my current favorite.