The Undying Monster (1942), dir. John Braham, Twentieth Century Fox
By the 1940s, horror was pretty much Universal's domain, but that doesn't mean other studios couldn't try their hands.
Oliver Hammond (John Howard), is the local squire and coming home after a late chat with his friend Dr. Colbert (Bramwell Fletcher) when he, his maid (Virgina Traxler), and her dog are attacked by something. Oliver and the maid are mauled, the latter nearly fatally and the dog reduced to a fine mist.
Inspector Craig (Aubrey Mathers) takes over the case, and he notices a most unusual thread. It seems that nearly every elder member of the Hammond family has died either by suicide or violent means, going back to the Crusades. Craig decides to bring in some extra help.
Robert Curtis (James Elison)-forensic scientist
Cornelia Christopher (Heather Thatcher)-detective and occult expert.
The Hammond household is decidedly unhelpful, with the help even going out of their way to destroy evidence. What little info the pair can find paints a picture of devil worship and a family curse. Going over the scene of the attack, Curtis finds some hairs that suggest the suspect is of the human variety, at least until the hair vanishes when daylight hits them.
Can our pair figure out who the killer is before he or she strikes again?
Honestly wonderful; I'm rather disappointed that we didn't see Curtis and Christopher again, as the films suggests they have investigated similar cases before. The direction is also pretty darn good and atmospheric.
No comments:
Post a Comment