The House of Fear | |
---|---|
Directed by | Joe May |
Screenplay by | Peter Milne [1] |
Based on | The Last Warning by Thomas F. Fallon [1] |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Milton Krasner [1] |
Edited by | Frank Gross [1] |
Production companies | Crime Club Productions, Inc. [2] |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures Company, Inc. |
Release date |
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Country | United States [2] |
The House of Fear is a 1939 American mystery film directed by Joe May and starring William Gargan, Irene Hervey and Dorothy Arnold.
Originally set for a filming schedule of 10 days and $10,000, the film went over budget and over schedule. On its release, it received positive reviews from Variety , The Hollywood Reporter and The New York Daily News .
After an actor is killed during the middle of a play the theatre is closed. A year later a young producer re-assembles the cast and re-opens the theatre, intending to the stage the same play performed on the night of the murder.
The House of Fear began production on March 16, 1939, with a budget just over $100,000. [3] The film entered production under the title Backstage Phantom, the title of the source novel by Wadsworth Camp the film was adapted from and was based on the story and play "The Last Warning" by Thomas F. Fallon. [1] [3] The film was part of the Crime Club mystery series. [2] [4] 11 films were made in the series between 1937 and 1939. [4] The film was a remake of The Last Warning , directed by Paul Leni. [5]
Director Joe May had previously worked in the German film industry and while working on The House of Fear he had not mastered English. [3] Difficulties arose on set with the crew working until 10pm and the film going over its original 15 day schedule. [3] The film was completed on April 6 and was $8,000 over-budget. [3]
Charles Previn received credits as the film's music director, but except for music heard during the opening and closing credits there is no music in the film. [6]
The House of Fear was distributed by Universal Pictures Company, Inc. on June 30, 1939. [1] [2]
From contemporary reviews, Wanda Hale of The New York Daily News declared the film "[A]s puzzling a murdery mystery as has come along in some time" and that it "will keep you intrigued." [7] Variety found that the "cast has a rather tough assignment to get much out of the lines and situations provided." while still finding it to be a "whodunnit with comedy flavor that holds sufficient edge-of-seat suspense." [1] [7] The Hollywood Reporter declared that "Universal has turned out another one of those swell murder mysteries" that was "packed with plenty of good, clean comedy amid an eerie atmosphere, suspenseful action and many blood-curdling moments" [7]
From retrospective reviews, the authors of the book Universal Horror said the film was "no classic by any stretch" but it was a "snappy little whodunnit, in some ways better than many of the monsterrific Universals you've seen repeatedly in the meantime." [1] [7]
Son of Frankenstein is a 1939 American horror film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The film is the third in Universal Pictures' Frankenstein series and is the follow-up to the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein. Son of Frankenstein stars Rathbone as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein who, with his wife Elsa and son Peter, returns to his late father's estate. Near the castle lives Ygor, a crazed blacksmith whose neck was broken in an unsuccessful hanging attempt. Among the castle's remains, Frankenstein discovers the remains of the Monster and decides to try to save his family name by resurrecting the creature to prove his father was correct. He finds, however, the Monster only responds to Ygor's commands.
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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 stylistic hybrid, 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.
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.
Tower of London is a 1939 black-and-white historical film directed and produced by Rowland V. Lee. It stars Basil Rathbone as the future King Richard III of England, and Boris Karloff as his fictitious club-footed executioner Mord. The film is based on the traditional depiction of Richard rising to become King of England in 1483 by eliminating everyone ahead of him. Each time Richard accomplishes a murder, he removes one figurine from a dollhouse resembling a throneroom. Once he has completed his task, he now needs to defeat the exiled Henry Tudor to retain the throne.
House of Horrors is a 1946 American horror film released by Universal Pictures, starring Rondo Hatton, Martin Kosleck and Robert Lowery. The screenplay was by George Bricker from an original story by Dwight V. Babcock. A sculptor enlists the assistance of a madman to kill his critics.
The Crime Club was an imprint of the Doubleday publishing company, which later spawned a 1946-47 anthology radio series, and a 1937-1939 film series.
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The Secret of the Blue Room is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Lionel Atwill, Gloria Stuart, Paul Lukas, and Edward Arnold. A remake of the German film Geheimnis des blauen Zimmers (1932), it concerns a group of wealthy people who stay at a European mansion that features a blue room that is said to be cursed, as everyone who has stayed there has died shortly after. Three people suggest a wager that each can survive a night in the blue room.
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Secret of the Chateau is a 1934 American mystery film directed by Richard Thorpe. The film stars Claire Dodd, Alice White, Osgood Perkins, Jack La Rue, George E. Stone and Clark Williams. On its release, reviews from Variety, The Film Daily and The Motion Picture Herald all commented that the film was a typical mystery film. On retrospective reviews, the book Universal Horrors stated the film had little to distinguish itself from others mystery films of the 1930s and 1940s and has justly been forgotten.
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The Witness Vanishes is a 1939 American mystery film directed by Otis Garrett and starring Edmund Lowe, Wendy Barrie, and Bruce Lester.
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