UNCLE JOSH IN A SPOOKY HOTEL (1900)
Article #419 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 5-8-2002
Posting date: 10-1-2002

Uncle Josh spends some time in a spooky hotel.

In what way is this hotel spooky? Well, it has a ghost. What kind of ghost? One of those vengeance-driven, ravening soul-stealers? No, not quite. He’s one of those ghosts who likes practical jokes, such as punching your guest in the arm and vanishing so your guest will think it was you who punched him. Yes, one of those basically benign but annoying ghosts. And that’s pretty much all there is to say about this Edwin S. Porter short from the turn of the last century. And this is now officially the oldest movie I have covered in the series.

THE UNHOLY THREE (1930)
Article #298 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 1-7-2002
Posting date: 5-24-2002

A ventriloquist, a strong man, and a midget combine forces to commit robberies.

If you’ve seen the silent version of this movie, you’ve seen this movie. Granted, there are a few changes; it has sound, to start with. It also motivates the scene with the gorilla a little better. It’s also more efficient; the silent movie is about fifteen minutes longer. But the acting isn’t quite as good; Harry Earles had one of the worst acting voices I’ve ever heard, and even Lon Chaney’s voice is a little off-putting and takes some getting used to; I wonder how far he would have gone in talkies if he had lived. As it is, I prefer the silent version, though it is interesting to compare the two.

THE UNDYING MONSTER (1942)
Article #297 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 1-6-2002
Posting date: 5-23-2002

The male sons of the Hammond estate seem to be under a curse that involves their deaths at the hands of an unknown creature.

Basically, this was a low-budget attempt to cash in on THE WOLF MAN, even including its own werewolf poem (about going out on frosty nights). At sixty minutes long, its thirty minutes of a good movie and thirty minutes of a not-so-good movie; fortunately, the good thirty minutes constitute the beginning and end of the movie, both eerie and exciting. The middle of the movie is talky, over-plotted, and appears to be going out of its way to convince you that the ending is going to result in a more mundane explanation for the murders than werewolfery; I’m glad they didn’t opt ultimately for that approach. There’s also a great little scene involving spectrum analysis that’s my favorite in the movie. It requires a bit of patience, but the movie is worth a look.

THE UNHOLY THREE (1925)
Article #243 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 11-14-2001
Posting date: 3-30-2002

A ventriloquist, a strong man and a midget team up to commit robberies, each using their unique talents or attributes to succeed.

This one is a lot of fun, and includes a great performance by Chaney, the not-so-evil mastermind of this group. It’s not really horror, though it does possess a couple of touches that make it of interest to horror fans; firstly the interest in freaks, and secondly, the presence of a killer chimpanzee who plays a crucial (if contrived) role towards the end of the movie. They use a real full-grown chimpanzee rather than a man in a gorilla suit, but I can’t help but notice that we don’t actually see it in the same frame with any of the human actors, probably as a result of the ill-temper of full grown chimps. This is one of the most enjoyable silent films I’ve seen, despite a somewhat messy plot, and the fact that we’re not really allowed to see the actual robbery take place in its entirety. It would be remade five years later, and certain plot elements would also find their way later into Tod Brownings’ THE DEVIL DOLL.

THE UNKNOWN (1927)
Article #138 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 8-1-2001
Posting date: 12-15-2001

An armless knife-thrower (who isn’t really armless but performs in a harness) in a circus is in love with another circus performer who can’t stand men putting their arms around her; the knife-thrower encourages this distaste in her to keep her away from the strongman to whom she is attracted. He decides to have his arms surgically removed for good in order to win her and cover up his deception, but she overcomes her repugnance to being held just as he does this.

This is perhaps my favorite Lon Chaney performance as well as my favorite Tod Browning movie. I always marvel at the skill with which Chaney pulls off this role, despite the fact that the harness he wore contributed to his back problems; the scene where he tearfully lights and smokes a cigarette with his feet without realizing that his hands are free to do this at the moment is wonderful. It’s not really a horror movie, but is often included in lists of this sort, probably due to the presence of Chaney, the role he’s playing, and a certain depravity in the proceedings. Joan Crawford plays the woman he loves, and John George his sidekick.