Klaus Ming The Monster is an early "Old Dark House" styled comedy which features a mad doctor whose oddball band of henchmen kidnap unsuspecting motorists who happen to be in the vicinity of the old sanitarium where he conducts his experiments to discover the secret of eternal life. Investigating the local disappearances is Johnny Goodlittle, a timid amateur detective, who provides much of the film's comic relief. Disappointingly, the film never really delivers a monster, nor does it make much use of Chaney's mildly frightening character (Klaus Ming March 2017).

bsmith5552 When I first discovered "The Monster" with Lon Chaney I thought, Oh Boy a monster movie with the Great Lon Chaney. I wondered what gross makeup he would turn up in and which heroine would he pine over. Well what I got was a second half of a double bill low brow comedy.It starts out OK. The opening scene involves a scary looking character lowering a large mirror on to a country road where an oncoming motorist believes he is about to crash and veers off the road into a ditch where he is besieged by two sinister characters. But then the next scene is the next at the crash scene where we meet a number of "B" movie characters.Johnny (Johnny Arthur) is a wannabe detective who decides that he will solve the disappearance once he graduates from his Detective Correspondence School. He discovers a clue...a scrap of paper calling for help from a local sanitarium which has apparently been closed for two months. Also on the scene are Betty Watson (Gertrude Olmstead) Johnny's lady love, his rival and boss (Hallam Cooley), the local constable/fire chief (Charles Sellon), an insurance detective (Matthew Betz) among others, each with their own opinions.Following his rejection by Betty at her party, Johnny wonders off into the woods and goes through a trap door into the sanitarium. Betty and the rival go there to see what happened. It is here, after about 35 minutes that we first meet Dr. Ziska (Chaney) the "acting" sanitarium head.This is the best part of the movie. The atmosphere of the sanitarium is dark and gloomy. We have the usual assortment of trap doors, sliding panels, dark shadows et al. Chaney, with his mad doctor make up turns out to be obsessed with finding a woman to experiment on. He finds one in the comely Betty. Then amateur detective Johnny swings into action and..................................The mad doctor sequences are the best part of the film. It drags though, through the first half hour or so as we await Chaney's entrance. Chaney plays his part straight in spite of the "B" level comedy going around him. His demise is a highlight. I couldn't help but think that this film was the "inspiration" for the many "B" level mad doctor and The East Side Kids/Bela Lugosi type films of the 30s and 40s.Chaney usually played sympathetic roles where he loves and loses the heroine but not so here. He always tried to diversify his roles but I don't understand why he took this totally unsympathetic role which was at best, a supporting role. Still and all Chaney still steals the picture.

MissSimonetta The Monster is one of the great Lon Chaney's less memorable ventures. It's neither bad nor good, though it does have its moments. The only reason it doesn't get a lower rating is because it doesn't take itself too seriously and Chaney is somewhat entertaining as a mad scientist.The story involves three young adults (Johnny Arthur, Gertrude Olmstead, Hallam Cooley) trapped in a creepy asylum under the "hospitality" of a mad doctor (Lon Chaney) whose intentions seem quite malicious. Arthur's character is a less funny version of Buster Keaton's character in Sherlock Jr., but he's not bad and certainly the most memorable of the trio. Chaney is entertaining as the mad doctor, but it is far from being one of his better parts. The "haunted house" plot feels very dated and some of the jokes really aren't all too funny.Though mostly forgettable, The Monster is essential for huge Chaney fans like myself and if you're really bored, then you might like to waste some time with this one.

MartinHafer This is a very strange Lon Chaney film due to the plot as well as the focus of the film--which is generally not on Chaney but on a trio who get sucked into his maniacal world.The film begins with a silly plot device. A caped madman raises and lowers a giant mirror across the road to cause an accident. However, when the locals investigate, the doctor who was driving the car is missing! The film then focuses on a young wimpy man who wants to be a detective. He tries to get the people to listen to him and his theories about what actually happened, but no one listens---even though he's just completed a home-study course on how to be a detective! This is all pretty strange, I know.Later this guy plus a couple all get stranded out by the mental institution outside of town. Considering it's raining, they look for shelter or accidentally stumble into a trapdoor leading to the asylum in one case. Once inside, they wished they hadn't come it, as the place is a bizarre place--full of strange trap doors, hidden rooms and chambers and filled with characters that looked quite at home in a Frankenstein film! The doctor in charge of the asylum (Chaney) bids them welcome and offers to put them up for the night. But once steel doors spring over all the windows, they realize they are trapped and have no choice but to stay. And, naturally, it turns out that the doctor is NOT a doctor but a madman who has taken over the asylum. So, it's up to our daring detective to spring to action and save everyone and solve the mystery.This truly is one of the strangest silent films I've ever seen, but its strangeness and all the cool gadgets and overacting make this a fun film to watch--though not exactly cerebral or subtle! In many ways, it reminds me of the silent classic THE CAT AND THE CANARY--another scary old house film from the silent era. Plus, in the 1970s, the plot for THE MONSTER was reworked into the very cheesy and not worth watching schlock-film, THE MANSION OF MADNESS. THE CAT AND THE CANARY is worth seeing, MANSION OF MADNESS definitely isn't.