Night Monster (1942)

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Night Monster (1942)
Topic Started: Oct 15 2009, 05:42 AM (227 Views)
Laughing Gravy	Oct 15 2009, 05:42 AM Post #1
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,060 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	Three surgeons who botched a patient and left him a cripple accept an invitation to his remote mansion for some reason I couldn't figure out if I watched this movie 1000 times. They all wind up dead, to nobody's surprise. So do some other people. Who is killing them? Is it creepy Dr. Lionel Atwill? Nope. Is it creepy butler Bela Lugosi? Nope. It's a monster with really big feet, apparently. A rather unpleasant film with a real monster; reminds me of The Mad Ghoul in that respect. I'd actually never, ever seen this before (maybe the last Universal horror film I can say that about) so I watched it last night. It's on last year's Universal Horror collection, and first of all (are we still on first of all?) let me say that it's an absolutely beautiful print and transfer, just stellar. So Ralph Morgan is the cripple, Leif Ericson is the creepy chauffeur (he tries to rape somebody), Don Porter is the doofus hero (he went on to play doofus characters on 1960s TV shows) and best of all is Nils Asther as some sort of Swami; he speaks worse English than Lugosi, making this perhaps the ONLY movie in history in which Lugosi isn't the worst English-speaker in the cast. There's a scene in which Asther is talking and the camera cuts to Lugosi, who totally has a "HEY! This guy speaks worse than I do!" look on his face; it's hilarious. Anyway, it's a pretty good movie, marred for me by Fay Helm, who is awful as the crippled man's hysterical sister. I wanted to slap her and tell her to go sit in the time-out chair, or maybe in another movie.



Vornoff	Oct 16 2009, 09:04 AM Post #2
Charter Member Posts: 483 Group: Members Member #54 Joined: September 16, 2005	I don't recall this one at all. Should watch it for Bela's sake. My guess is that the killer is Ralph Morgan, because whenever Ralph is one of these-here mysteries, he's always the killer!
	"Doctor of nothing!"


Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer	Oct 16 2009, 09:35 AM Post #3
Balconeer Creeper Posts: 14,166 Group: Members Member #244 Joined: July 6, 2007	I like it Vornoff, plus all the others on the Universal Horror set (Captive Wild Woman is lame, but a hoot to watch). I'm surprised you don't own this. Here's a link... Universal Horrors
	"She's got style, she's got grace She's got long, long legs, she's got... Savoir Faire"


toddgault	Oct 17 2009, 05:59 AM Post #4
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 154 Group: Members Member #339 Joined: January 21, 2008	It is one of the better Universals from the forties with some really good creepy scenes. I liked how when the killer shows up the first time all the frogs and crickets just suddenly go silent. There is also a great scene where one of the victims is being stalked in their bedroom and all you see is this large shadow looming over them. It's a great little B thriller.
	Todd Gault..........Serial Buff


Chandu	Oct 17 2009, 09:51 AM Post #5
Knowledge Seeker and rascal at large Posts: 10,266 Group: Members Member #297 Joined: October 19, 2007	toddgault Oct 17 2009, 05:59 AM It is one of the better Universals from the forties with some really good creepy scenes. I liked how when the killer shows up the first time all the frogs and crickets just suddenly go silent. There is also a great scene where one of the victims is being stalked in their bedroom and all you see is this large shadow looming over them. It's a great little B thriller. You may be interested to know it's a natural phenomena for all the frogs and crickets to become silent all at once. I live very rurally and in the springtime the frogs and crickets are almost deafening in the evenings, yet it seems as though if just one frog goes silent, they all do and all of a sudden the night turns eerily silent. I've even mentioned this strange phenomena to a neighbor who's lived here much longer and he he agreed it seemed peculiar to him too. Here where I live, I think the cricket season actually comes sometime later, like when the grasshoppers are abounding, but then movies have never been known for their technical correctness.
	Not plane, nor bird, nor even frog. It's just little ol' me...


panzer the great & terrible	Oct 17 2009, 01:03 PM Post #6
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,323 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	So where do you live, Chandu?
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


Chandu	Oct 17 2009, 02:53 PM Post #7
Knowledge Seeker and rascal at large Posts: 10,266 Group: Members Member #297 Joined: October 19, 2007	I live just north and east of La Center, WA, about an hour's drive north of Portland, OR. I live out in the boonies, in the forest, but it's not like I live somewhere the frogs and crickets would act any differently than they would anywhere else. Edited by Chandu, Oct 17 2009, 02:58 PM.
	Not plane, nor bird, nor even frog. It's just little ol' me...


panzer the great & terrible	Oct 19 2009, 07:44 AM Post #8
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,323 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	Oh, I get that; I was just wondering which boony you live in because I used to live way out, so far out that we only got two TV stations. That was back in the early seventies, so no Direct TV or Dish Network yet, and, my one regret, I missed MASH.
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


Chandu	Oct 19 2009, 10:03 AM Post #9
Knowledge Seeker and rascal at large Posts: 10,266 Group: Members Member #297 Joined: October 19, 2007	I understand perfectly. I have DirecTV (my only choice besides DISH) and a rudimentary DSL internet connection.
	Not plane, nor bird, nor even frog. It's just little ol' me...


Vornoff	Oct 19 2009, 05:54 PM Post #10
Charter Member Posts: 483 Group: Members Member #54 Joined: September 16, 2005	Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer Oct 16 2009, 09:35 AM I like it Vornoff, plus all the others on the Universal Horror set (Captive Wild Woman is lame, but a hoot to watch). I'm surprised you don't own this. Here's a link... Universal Horrors Uhh...guess what? I do own it but forgot that it was there. Bet that's never happened to anyone before. So anyway I watched it and really enjoyed it a lot. I especially liked watching Leif Erickson's performance as a totally crazed sex maniac, even going after old Doris Lloyd. I couldn't get over his wild hair-do. Very enjoyable, over all. Considering it was made in 1942, it sure had an early 30's feel to it for me. Somewhat reminiscent of Mystery in the Wax Museum and Doctor X.
	"Doctor of nothing!"


Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer	Oct 20 2009, 03:10 AM Post #11
Balconeer Creeper Posts: 14,166 Group: Members Member #244 Joined: July 6, 2007	Vornoff Oct 19 2009, 05:54 PM Uhh...guess what? I do own it but forgot that it was there. Bet that's never happened to anyone before. So anyway I watched it and really enjoyed it a lot. I especially liked watching Leif Erickson's performance as a totally crazed sex maniac, even going after old Doris Lloyd. I couldn't get over his wild hair-do. Very enjoyable, over all. Considering it was made in 1942, it sure had an early 30's feel to it for me. Somewhat reminiscent of Mystery in the Wax Museum and Doctor X. I can't say much. Earlier this year when I was pickin' up John Wayne movies at a fever pace, I bought the same film twice. Once from Big Lots and once from Wal*Mart. I bought 'em about 2 weeks apart too.
	"She's got style, she's got grace She's got long, long legs, she's got... Savoir Faire"


panzer the great & terrible	Oct 20 2009, 08:16 AM Post #12
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,323 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	All collectors do things like that; it's nothing to feel bad about. God invented public libraries so you can give the duplicates to the whole community.
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer	Oct 20 2009, 08:26 AM Post #13
Balconeer Creeper Posts: 14,166 Group: Members Member #244 Joined: July 6, 2007	panzer the great & terrible Oct 20 2009, 08:16 AM God invented public libraries so you can give the duplicates to the whole community. A rather grand idea... thanks!
	"She's got style, she's got grace She's got long, long legs, she's got... Savoir Faire"


Black Tiger	Oct 21 2009, 12:18 AM Post #14
Charter Member Posts: 1,812 Group: Members Member #50 Joined: September 15, 2005	Excellent idea, Paul.



AndyFish	Oct 22 2009, 05:44 AM Post #15
Movie Watcha Foist Class Posts: 201 Group: Members Member #224 Joined: June 11, 2007	I really enjoyed this one- had it on VHS when Universal released it years ago-- and bought the DVD right away. On the same DVD I also got a kick out of Man Made Monster, which I always confuse with Mad Monster and The Indestrucible Man. Yikes! Great idea about donating dupes! I just picked up RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE on DVD for $6 at Price Chopper Supermarkets (they also had REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN) only to get home and put it on the shelf next to my OTHER copy of ROTV!
	www.hebsandfish.com


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