rtomko
Absolutely a great horror film. The English countryside setting is perfect and I think the film is enhanced in black and white (somehow black and white produces a scarier effect than color). the cast is very good and they display some fine acting. The plot is sort of easy to guess but the overall atmosphere of the film makes you forget that point. This film should be shown on some TV stations during the Halloween season. Wish they made more of this type today.
calvinnme
A curse has been killing the men of Hammond Hall for centuries on cold nights. In 1900, Helga Hammond (Heather Angel) tells the butler that curses don't exist. There are screams from outside the mansion. Helga orders a carriage to be brought round for her while the servants wring their hands and worry. So begins this low budget film from 20th-Century Fox that moves at breakneck speed trying to get in all the plot in just over an hour's running time.The movie is filled with behind-the-scenes talent that was two years away from peaking. Director John Brahm would hit his stride in 1944-45, when he directed "Guest In The House, "The Lodger (both 1944) and "Hangover Square" (1945) consecutively. Composer David Raksin, best known for the "Theme from "Laura" (1944) scored one of his first films here. Lucien Ballard, who did the atmospheric, skewed photography that plays with the viewers' sense of proportion and reminded me of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1919), filmed both "Laura" and "The Lodger" (both 1944). The sets were designed by Richard Day and Lewis Creber."The Undying Monster" is an marvelous "B" movie that should be better known.
Hitchcoc
Many films thrown together in this era don't do a very good job. This one is quite atmospheric. It involves a family curse where people have died over the years at the hands of a vicious monster. A couple of Thin Man type sleuths are brought in to investigate what is going on and are stopped at every turn by the people most affected. While it has its sappy moments and a whole bunch of characters jumping out of the dark, it keeps our attention pretty well. There is a butler and a house maid who seem to be at the center of things and lots of red herrings, but the production value is decent. Often, in other 1940's offerings, the horror aspect is there to be the distraction from a romantic comedy. In this one, attention is paid to the crime itself. Oh, there is some bad science, but what the heck.
utgard14
A Scotland Yard inspector (James Ellison) investigates an attack on a wealthy man named Oliver Hammond (John Howard) at his family's estate. Turns out there's a werewolf curse on the Hammond family but the inspector believes there's a more scientific explanation. Rare '40s horror film from 20th Century Fox. It's obviously meant to capitalize on Universal's success with The Wolf Man. It even has its own werewolf poem. Not exactly as catchy though. It's a good B horror-thriller. Director John Brahm and cinematographer Lucien Ballard create a beautiful-looking film, full of shadowy atmosphere and some great sets. Ellison and Howard are good, as is the lovely Heather Angel. Nice support from Halliwell Hobbes, Holmes Herbert, and Bramwell Fletcher. It's barely over an hour so there's no excuse not to try it out. It will be well worth the effort.
AD
