Night of Terror

Last updated
Night of Terror
NightOfTerror1933.jpg
Directed by Benjamin Stoloff
Written by Willard Mack
Beatrice Van
Lester Neilson
William Jacobs
Produced by Bryan Foy
Starring Bela Lugosi
Sally Blane
Wallace Ford
Tully Marshall
Cinematography Joseph A. Valentine
Edited by Arthur Hilton
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • April 24, 1933 (1933-04-24)
Running time
61 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Night of Terror is a 1933 American pre-Code horror film directed by Benjamin Stoloff, and starring Bela Lugosi, Sally Blane, Wallace Ford, and Tully Marshall. Despite receiving top billing, Bela Lugosi has a relatively small part. [1] The film is also known as He Lived to Kill and Terror in the Night. [2]

Contents

Plot

Police have been vainly searching the countryside for the knife-wielding Maniac, who has been on a murderous spree. The Maniac's victims are each found with a taunting newspaper clipping attached to their body. After the wealthy uncle of a young scientist is mysteriously murdered, people wonder if the Maniac is responsible.

Prior to his uncle's death, the young scientist in question, Dr. Arthur Hornsby, claimed to have developed a method of living without oxygen for extended periods. To prove his theory, he had himself buried after taking a dose of the serum. Despite his incapacity, the death of his uncle leaves a vast fortune, which is to be divided amongst his family members and servants. In the event that one or more them dies, the inheritance is split among the remaining survivors. Subsequently, members of the family begin to die, one-by-one, and suspicion is cast on the servants, including the "mystic" butler (Bela Lugosi).

At the end, we discover that Dr. Hornsby faked his burial and was using it as a cover for committing the murders. His plan was to kill any other heirs to his uncle's fortune so that he might obtain sole possession. His plan is eventually discovered and exposed by the butler. The Maniac is shot, and apparently killed, by the newspaper reporter, Tom Hartley; but in the closing moments of the film, he comes back to life and claims that he will haunt the audience if they reveal the plot twist to anyone.

Cast

Production

In an attempt to bail himself out of debt, Bela Lugosi was working a heavy schedule, including the filming of International House by day and Night of Terror by night. [4] There is a seance scene where Sika, Degar's wife is about to reveal the killer, but is murdered before she can say the name. This scene was filmed during an aftershock of the Long Beach Earthquake. With the hot lights jiggling over the actors they were nervous but since many were originally stage actors they kept on going. The expressions were so intense that the director said it was perfect and didn't need any retakes. [5]

See also

Notes

  1. "Night of Terror (1933) - Ben Stoloff, Benjamin Stoloff | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie".
  2. "Night of Terror". American Film Institute . Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  3. "Night of Terror 1933 Restored".
  4. Mank, Gregory William (2009). Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff: the expanded story of a haunting collaboration, with a complete filmography of their films together. McFarland & Company. p. 142. ISBN   978-0-7864-3480-0.
  5. "Night of Terror 1933 Restored".

Related Research Articles

<i>Bride of the Monster</i> 1955 American science fiction horror film by Ed Wood

Bride of the Monster is a 1955 American independent science fiction horror film, co-written, produced and directed by Edward D. Wood Jr., and starring Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson with a supporting cast featuring Tony McCoy and Loretta King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Wood</span> American filmmaker, actor and author (1924–1978)

Edward Davis Wood Jr. was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novelist.

Scared to Death is a 1947 American gothic thriller film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Bela Lugosi, George Zucco, Nat Pendleton and Molly Lamont. The picture was filmed in Cinecolor. The film is historically important as the only color film in which Bela Lugosi has a starring role. Lionel Atwill was originally slated to appear in the film, but he was too ill to work, so George Zucco replaced him in the cast. Christy Cabanne completed the film in early 1946, but it wasn't screened until 1947.

<i>Mark of the Vampire</i> 1935 film by Tod Browning

Mark of the Vampire is a 1935 American horror film, starring Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, and Jean Hersholt, and directed by Tod Browning. A series of deaths and attacks by vampires brings the eminent expert Professor Zelen to the aid of Irena Borotyn, who is about to be married. Her father, Sir Karell, died from complete loss of blood, with bite wounds on his neck, and it appears he may be one of the undead now plaguing the area.

<i>White Zombie</i> (film) 1932 film by Victor Hugo Halperin

White Zombie is a 1932 pre-Code horror film independently produced by Edward Halperin and directed by Victor Halperin. The screenplay by Garnett Weston, based on The Magic Island by William Seabrook, is about a young woman's transformation into a zombie at the hands of an evil voodoo master. Bela Lugosi stars as the zombie master "Murder" Legendre, with Madge Bellamy appearing as his victim. Other cast members include Joseph Cawthorn, Robert W. Frazer, John Harron, Brandon Hurst, and George Burr MacAnnan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bela Lugosi filmography</span>

Bela Lugosi (1882–1956), best known for the original screen portrayal of Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1931, performed in many films during the course of his 39-year film career. He appeared in films made in his native Hungary, Germany and New York before re-locating to Hollywood in 1928. Films are listed in order of release.

<i>The Black Cat</i> (1934 film) 1934 American film

The Black Cat is a 1934 American pre-Code horror film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and starring Boris Karloff and Béla Lugosi. It was Universal Pictures' biggest box office hit of the year, and was the first of eight films to feature both Karloff and Lugosi. In 1941, Lugosi appeared in a comedy horror mystery film with the same title, which was also named after and ostensibly "suggested by" Edgar Allan Poe's short story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Blane</span> American actress (1910–1997)

Sally Blane was an American actress who appeared in more than 100 movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polly Ann Young</span> American actress (1908–1997)

Polly Ann Young was an American actress.

<i>Invisible Ghost</i> 1941 film by Joseph H. Lewis

Invisible Ghost is a 1941 American horror film directed by Joseph H. Lewis, produced by Sam Katzman and starring Bela Lugosi.

<i>The Black Cat</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Albert S. Rogell

The Black Cat is a 1941 American comedy horror and mystery film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Basil Rathbone. The film was a hybrid of style: being inspired by comedy "Old Dark House" films of the era as well as the 1843 short story "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe. It stars Basil Rathbone as Montague Hartley, the head of a greedy family who await the death of Henrietta Winslow so that they can inherit her fortune. When she is found murdered, an investigation begins into who might be the culprit. Alongside Rathbone and Loftus, the film's cast includes Hugh Herbert, Broderick Crawford, and Bela Lugosi.

<i>The Invisible Ray</i> (1936 film) 1936 American film

The Invisible Ray is a 1936 American science-fiction horror film directed by Lambert Hillyer. It stars Boris Karloff as Dr. Janos Rukh, a scientist who comes in contact with a meteorite composed of an element known as "Radium X". After exposure to its rays begins to make him glow in the dark, his touch becomes deadly, and he begins to be slowly driven mad. Alongside Karloff, the film's cast includes Bela Lugosi, Frances Drake, Frank Lawton, Walter Kingsford, Beulah Bondi, Violet Kemble Cooper, and Nydia Westman.

<i>Murders in the Rue Morgue</i> (1932 film) 1932 film

Murders in the Rue Morgue is a 1932 American horror film directed by Robert Florey, based on Edgar Allan Poe's 1841 short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". The plot is about Doctor Mirakle, a carnival sideshow entertainer and scientist who kidnaps Parisian women to mix their blood with that of his gorilla, Erik. As his experiments fail because of the quality of his victims' blood, Mirakle meets with Camille L'Espanye, and has her kidnapped and her mother murdered, leading to suspicion falling on Camille's fiance, Pierre Dupin, a medical student who has already become interested in the earlier murders.

<i>S.O.S. Coast Guard</i> 1937 American film

S O S Coast Guard is a 1937 Republic film serial. It was the seventh of the sixty-six serials made by Republic. The plot concerns the mad scientist Boroff attempting to sell a superweapon to the highest bidder, opposed by Coast Guard Lieutenant Terry Kent, for both personal and professional reasons.

<i>The Whispering Shadow</i> 1933 American film

The Whispering Shadow is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery serial film directed by Colbert Clark and Albert Herman and starring Béla Lugosi in his first of five serial roles. Lugosi received $10,000, the highest known salary of his career, for this film. The serial was filmed in 12 days and was the last role for actor Karl Dane.

<i>The Phantom Creeps</i> 1939 film by Ford Beebe

The Phantom Creeps is a 1939 12-chapter science fiction horror serial starring Bela Lugosi as mad scientist Doctor Zorka, who attempts to rule the world by creating various elaborate inventions. In a dramatic fashion, foreign agents and G-Men try to seize the inventions for themselves.

<i>Revolt of the Zombies</i> 1936 film by Victor Hugo Halperin

Revolt of the Zombies is a 1936 American horror film directed by Victor Halperin, produced by Edward Halperin, and stars Dean Jagger and Dorothy Stone. One of the earliest zombie films, it was initially conceived as a loose sequel to the director's moderately successful White Zombie (1932) but, due to a lawsuit, was unable to promote itself as such.

<i>Fighting with Kit Carson</i> 1933 film

Fighting with Kit Carson is a 1933 American pre-Code Mascot Pictures film serial. It was edited into a feature film by Al Dezel Productions in 1946 and released to theaters as a movie. Johnny Mack Brown starred as Kit Carson, and Betsy King Ross played his love interest, Joan Fargo. The film also starred Tully Marshall and both Noah Beery Sr. and Noah Beery Jr.

<i>The Dark Eyes of London</i> (film) 1939 British film by Walter Summers

The Dark Eyes of London is a 1939 British horror film produced by John Argyle and directed by Walter Summers, and starring Béla Lugosi, Hugh Williams, and Greta Gynt. The film is an adaptation of the 1924 novel of the same name by Edgar Wallace. The film is about a scientist named Dr. Orloff who commits a series of murders for insurance money, while periodically disguising himself as the blind manager of a charity to further his scheme.

<i>The Black Camel</i> (film) 1931 film

The Black Camel is a 1931 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and starring Warner Oland, Sally Eilers, Bela Lugosi, and Dorothy Revier. It is based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Earl Derr Biggers. It is the second film to star Oland as detective Charlie Chan, and the sole surviving title of the first five Chan films starring Oland. The Black Camel marked the film debut of Robert Young.

References