Set in England in the late 1800s, Boris Karloff is a socially conscious writer who looks into the case of the executed criminal dubbed the ‘Haymarket Strangler’, and concludes that the executed man was in fact innocent. His investigation leads him into very confronting territory, especially when he happens to come across the surgical scalpel the serial killer used, which was not found at the time of the supposed killer’s arrest. Anthony Dawson plays a well-meaning but sceptical Scotland Yard inspector, who wishes Karloff wouldn’t meddle in closed criminal cases. Jean Kent plays a dance hall owner, who was a key witness in the original case. Diane Aubrey and Tim Turner play Karloff’s daughter and assistant, respectively, whilst Elizabeth Allan is Karloff’s concerned wife.
“Frankenstein” and especially “Bride of Frankenstein” are certainly masterpieces in the horror genre, but their big star, Boris Karloff found meatier acting assignments elsewhere (Principally, “The Body Snatcher” and Peter Bogdanovich’s “Targets”). This Brit horror outing directed by Robert Day (“Corridors of Blood”, matching Karloff with a youngish Christopher Lee, is no “Bride of Frankenstein” in terms of quality (it’s not even up to “The Body Snatcher” standards), but given a decent lead role, Karloff treats it as though it’s damn near Shakespeare. It’s not Shakespeare, of course, in fact, it’s more in league with “Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde”, and a pretty enjoyable variation on that tale.
Day isn’t the world’s greatest director but he effectively conveys a rather filthy Victorian era setting, and you really can’t go wrong with a public hanging in the opening scene. Public hangings, murders, horse-drawn carriages, prostitutes, a ‘dance hall’ called “The Judas Hole”- this is really my kind of horror film, in a lot of ways. It’s no real spoiler to say that Karloff plays both Jekyll and Hyde in this film, as he’s revealed to be the strangler part of the way through the film. For once, this early revelation is a plus, because we feel bad for Karloff. This poor guy has a side to him that he can’t control, and yet, it’s not due to a tragic accident or experiment gone wrong. It’s much worse than that: the monster is within him, and because it’s Karloff, a master of pathetic sympathy and inherent decency, we feel for him and his plight. Personally, I see this as a much more realistic twist on Jekyll and Hyde, and Karloff conveys his darker side in a most unusual manner: His facial contortions. Unlike his most famous monster role, Karloff conveys this monster all on his own, by simply taking out his dentures and contorting his face to look like one side of his face was suffering the effects of a stroke or something. It is simple, but terribly effective, cutaways or not, the big transformation scene in the cell is still pretty startling. Overall, Karloff is most affecting and anguished as a man who knows he’s a killer but no one will believe him, because he’s too nice and respectable.
The other actors are a mixed bag, especially the ones in major supporting roles. Aubrey and Turner as Karloff’s daughter and her boyfriend (who is also Karloff’s assistant) are boring as hell, but veteran character actor Anthony Dawson (who should’ve been a much bigger star, as he was most versatile) and Jean Kent are terrific as an Inspector, and ill-fated dancing hall owner, respectively. In fact, all of the actresses playing the ‘easy virtue’ women are perfectly fine.
There’s several standout scenes in the film, including the scene where he confesses all to his wife, which is terrifying and quite brave for the time, in the way it plays out. Meanwhile, Karloff’s brief sanatorium freak-out scene is some of the best work he ever committed to film. The murder of the servant/maid is also extremely effective.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Yes folks, this is a B-movie. But it’s a B-movie that has several outstanding aspects, and deserves a much loftier critical standing. This is an absolute must for Karloff fans.
