gridoon2018
"Scared To Death" has a promising genre cast, but this is not a shining moment for any of the persons involved. Bela Lugosi and George Zucco do what they usually do, and they do it well, but not much of it, and not anything more. There is also a load of ineffectual comic relief by Nat Pendleton, Joyce Compton and Gladys Blake. The use of color helps the film camouflage its lack of budget (almost all of it takes place in one house) a little, but it is still relentlessly talky, pointless, and boring. And could this perhaps be the most spoiler-y movie title in the history of movie titles? There is a laughable epilogue where the truth is finally revealed: "She was....scared to death!" You don't say!!! * out of 4.
Chase_Witherspoon
Comedy-rendered crime thriller with Lugosi as a sinister cousin to surgeon Zucco, an unwelcome guest after being estranged for many years following an altercation. Zucco's son (Varno) is unhappily wed to former theatre performer (Lamont), who's haunted by Lugosi's presence and that of a mysterious man in a green mask. Told from the minds-eye perspective of a corpse (!), this compact thriller is quick and quirky but unlikely to scare anyone to death anytime soon.Camp performances by Lugosi, Fowley and especially Pendleton as the private detective hoping for a homicide so he can return to the force are generally well executed against Zucco's relatively straight performance, while Lamont (whose native South African accent is occasionally detectable) teeters on the edge of insanity as those around her seek to take advantage of her fragile emotional state.There's a convoluted plot involving a mysterious figure in a green mask and a previous marriage that threatens to de-rail Lamont's hope for a financially lucrative divorce, but the plot strands are so quickly resolved that I had to reverse engineer the explanation a day or two later. Still, it's only 65 minutes of your life, and you do get to see Lugosi in a rare, "natural" colour appearance.
Woodyanders
Feisty young Molly Lamont (essayed with fervent eye-rolling brio by Laura La Valle) relates from the coroner's slab how she was frightened to death. Director Christy Cabanne, working from a thoroughly bonkers script by Walter Abbott, tells the deliriously loopy story involving hypnosis and a creepy guy wearing a blue mask lurking at the window at a brisk pace and pitches the off the wall humor at a hysterically broad level. Moreover, the game cast has a ball with the nutty material: George Zucco keeps a straight face and maintains his dignity as the incredulous Dr. Joseph Van Ee, Bela Lugosi hams it up deliciously as the sinister Professor Leonide, Nat Pendleton is a complete riot as bumbling, but earnest lug ex-cop turned bodyguard Bill Raymond, Rolad Varno contributes a lively turn as wisecracking reporter Terry Lee, and both Joyce Compton as sweet dingbat Jane Cornell and Gladys Blake as sassy maid Lillybeth bring considerable flair to their roles. Moreover, the ubiquitous Angelo Rossitto even pops up as Leonide's ill-tempered dwarf companion Indigo. Marcel Le Picard's color cinematography makes cheesy use of gradual dissolves. Carl Hoefle's cornball score does the shuddery trick. The tight 68 minute running time ensures that this picture never gets dull or overstays its welcome. Granted, this film is extremely silly and contrived, but it's so cheerfully absurd that one can't help but enjoy it for its rampant inanity alone. An absolute hoot.
oscar-35
*Spoiler/plot- 1947, A story told in retrospective with life flashbacks of a morgue slab female's victim to how she was badly treated during her life. She is involved in some family drama while in an old creepy family rural estate. Her husband, her father-in-law (Zucco) and the unfriendly housekeeper are all suspect in seeking her demise and along comes her husband's visiting foreign uncle (Lugosi) with his weird dwarf assistant (Rossito). All these elements make for some mystery and drama on screen.*Special Stars- Douglas Fowley, George Zucco, Bela Lugosi, Nat Pendleton, Angel Rossito *Theme- Being rich and living in an rural mansion can be suicidal for you.*Based on- Pulp paperback murder mysteries *Trivia/location/goofs- The dwarf actor, Angelo Rossito and Nat Pendleton had long and varied acting careers with many feature films and worked until their deaths. Their careers are an interesting study in two different character actors versatility and longevity in modern Hollywood. Their careers are worth some investigation by real film buffs.*Emotion- An interesting film for it's plot use of retrospective, script writing work and character studies.
AD
