The Dark Eyes of London/ The Human Monster (1939) - The investigation of a series of alleged drowning victims leads a Scotland Yard detective to Dr. Orloff, an insurance agent who is killing his policy owners for their life insurance, and who is leading a double life as the owner for a home for the blind whose residents are unwittingly being used for further crimes.
Bela Lugosi plays both Orloff and Mr. Dearborn, the manager of the home for the blind (though he is dubbed for that persona), and does a fine job. There's enough mad science and diabolical scheming to allow this movie to cross over into horror territory, and Wilfred Walter as Orloff's hulking, blind, murdering, henchman is a monstrous looking figure. This movie looks like a cheap quickie, and does not have much in the way of finesse, or artistry, to behold, and even at 75 minutes the movie moves pretty slowly, but Lugosi's barely contained devious nature hidden beneath a thin veneer of cultured manner makes this film worthy of a look.
No comments:
Post a Comment