Main Cast: Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Irene Hervey, Ralph Morgan
Release Year: 1942
Country: US
Run Time: 73 minutes
Plot
More than one aficionado of Universal's horror films has cited Night Monster as the weakest of the batch. Part of the complaint lies in the fact that, despite their first and second billing, Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill are utterly wasted, with Atwill getting bumped off in the first reel! The nonsensical farrago of a plotline concerns a mysterious night stalker who has been killing off the doctors attending wealthy, crippled Kurt Ingstom (Ralph Morgan). With both of his legs amputated, Ingstom couldn't possibly be the murderer himself-or could he? The explanation to the mystery is as silly as the rest of the picture, but at least Night Monster boasts a rousing climax, one which suggests that no one lives happily ever after. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Yes, there's a lot that's wrong with Night Monster -- but there's also a fair amount of pleasure to be had from this admittedly-second tier Universal horror flick, especially for those who can't get enough of this kind of picture. As with so many others in this genre, credibility is a big problem -- not about the premise, because one assumes that a movie about "fantastic" doings will by its nature include plot elements that are not really to be found in the real world. The problem is that so many characters act in the most obvious and idiotic way; the film needs victims, so intelligence and common sense fall by the wayside, as so often happens in the celluloid world of mystery and suspense. The plot also gets a bit convoluted, and the dialogue is decidedly overripe (which may be a plus or a minus, depending upon one's enjoyment of such dialogue). More problematic is that top-billed Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill are wasted in roles that are far too small -- Atwill disappears after the first half hour or so, and though Lugosi stays for the whole film, his role is of too little importance. (Both actors, by the way, give dependable performances that will not disappoint their fans). Ralph Morgan is a bit much, but Irene Hervey and Fay Helm do quite well (and look quite attractive into the bargain). Director Ford I. Beebe creates solid atmosphere on what was a very quick and economical shoot (and which forced him to utilize some stock footage in several instances), and Charles Van Enger is invaluable for his creepy cinematography. Special appreciation is also due Beebe for his astute use of sound (or lack thereof) to heighten tension. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Night Monster is a 1942Americanblack-and-whitehorror film produced and distributed by Universal Pictures Company. It was an original story and screenplay by Clarence Upson Young, produced and directed by Ford Beebe. For publicity value, star billing was given to Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill, but the lead roles were played by Ralph Morgan, Irene Hervey and Don Porter, with Atwill actually in a character role as a pompous doctor who becomes a victim to the title character, and Lugosi in a small part as a butler who simply disappears from the script about halfway through the film.
Synopsis
In a small Southern town bordering a swampy region, unexplained murders and rumors of mysterious happenings surround the swamp-based home of the reclusive but respected Curt Ingston (Morgan). Ingston uses a wheelchair, and has invited to his home the three doctors who were trying to cure him when his paralysis set in. Already in the household are his grim-humored butler Quinn; a lecherous chauffeur, Don; a womannish housekeeper, Latona; an Eastern mystic, Celli; and Morgan's allegedly mentally-ill sister, Jillian. Outside, the gate is watched by a shrivelled old hunchback called Tony.
Coincident with the arrival of the three male physicians is the appearance of a woman psychiatrist, Dr. Kim, summoned secretly by Jillian to prove she is not insane and help her secure freedom from the control of Morgan and Latona. She arrives accompanied by neighbor mystery-writer Trav, who has rescued her after her car's broken down in the swamp. Neither Morgan nor Latona welcome her presence, but must contend with keeping her over night until her car can be fixed.
Following dinner, at which Morgan's conviction that the three doctors are directly responsible for his current condition, members of the party witness an exhibition of materialization of an Egyptian skeleton by Celli. Dr. Kim is forbidden to meet with Jillian. Then, one by one, the doctors are frightfully killed as they prepare for bed. Suspecting Morgan, Trav and police Captain Pudge confront him in his room, but discover he is actually not paralyzed but a quadruple amputee. Suspicion then falls on Don, who was last seen driving a murdered ex-employee of the household back to town; but he too winds up dead.
In the climax, Trav confronts the killer outside the estate as he menaces Kim, and discovers it is Morgan after all: by studying under Celli, he has learned how to materialize arms and legs, hands and feet for himself, long enough to accomplish his evil deeds. As Trav struggles with him to the death, Jillian sets fire to the unholy house, committing suicide while taking the malevolent Latona to the grave with her. As the house burns to the ground, Trav and Kim are saved by Celli, when Celli shoots Morgan. Only Captain Pudge escaped the burning household.
