Customer Reviews

House of Horrors [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The creeper goes after harsh critics, I think he should go after the other reveiwers of this movie. I thought it was good, the creeper ruled. It is one of my favorie classic monster movies.

This little Universal Studios effort gets its fair share of controversy over the supposed ethics of using actor Rondo Hatton who was a famous sufferer of the disfiguring illness Acromegaly, as the 'monster', of this horror effort. Right or wrong he does make an effective horror actor in this eerie little effort from 1946 and is greatly aided by the equally sinister performance by Martin Kosleck as deranged sculptor Marcel De Lange. The pair actually make a good team and Martin Kosleck's colourful acting as the owner of the 'House of Horrors', helps smooth over many of the deficiences in Rondo Hatton's limited acting ability. All in all it turns into a quite effective second string horror effort that builds quickly towards its climax and actually contains more elements of a thriller than of an out and out horror story.

Based on a Sherlock Holmes story 'The Pearl of Death', the Creeper character was resurrected as a vehicle for Rondo Hatton. As the action begins we find eccentric sculptor Marcel De Lange preparing a new avant garde sculpture for an interested client. Unfortunately Marcel has a bad reputation in New York art circles and when the client arrives at the studio he is unfortunately accompanied by acid tongued art critic F. Holmes Harmon (Alan Napier), a man feared and hated by all artists. When Harmon tears Marcel's work to pieces in front of the client Marcel swears somehow to get revenge on him. Faced with starvation from the loss of the sale Marcel contemplates suicide and as he is about to throw himself in the river he sees a figure climbing out of the water. Rescuing him he finds that the man is none other than the supposedly deceased 'creeper', who is responsible for a number of grisly murders in the city where the victims spines are snapped. Marcel nurses him back to health and gets his guest to pose for a new sculpture based on his unusual features which he feels will undoubtedly become his 'greatest work'. Marcel however is rapidly loosing his grip on reality and sensing that the creeper will do anything he says he sees a way of getting his revenge on those people who do not appreciate his work. Soon after with just a word from Marcel the creeper seeks out and murders the hated Harmon. The critic was just in the process of writing another nasty review of the work of artist Steven Morrow (Robert Lowery)at the time of his death and soon the police list Steve as one of the chief suspects. His girlfriend art reporter Joan Medford (Virginia Grey), sets out however to prove his innocence. Before long innocent women on the street are meeting grisly fates and the police are alerted to the fact that the spine snapping deaths indicate that the creeper is actually still alive. Having dealt with Marcel before Joan decides that somehow he is involved and visits him in his studio. She comes by the sketch he has made of the creeper for his sculpture and seeing that it matches the photos in the paper she is confirmed in her suspicions about where the murderer is. Taking the sketch for proof, unfortunately Joan now becomes the creepers target when Marcel discovers it missing. The creeper goes to Steve's apartment hoping to find Joan but by mistake murders one of Steve's models Stella (Joan Shawlee), who the he thought was Joan. Going back to Marcel's apartment to return the sketch Joan however finds herself trapped by the madman. Threatening Marcel with her evidence he states that he would shift the blame solely onto the creeper and in the resulting fight the creeper snaps his spine killing him. Joan now has to fight for her life as the creeper comes after her and its only with the timely arrival of Steve and the police that the terrifying creeper is shot down.

'House of Horrors', was the second film (after an earlier effort titled 'The Brute Man') to star Universal's new horror creation 'the creeper'. However Rondo Hatton's tragic death from complications due to his disfiguring illness squashed plans for a movie series. Nevertheless this is a solid little effort enlived no end by the playing in particular of Martin Kosleck and vivacious actress Virginia Grey. Indeed Kosleck's deranged sculptor is in some ways the successor to Universal's earlier mad scientists like Baron Frankenstein. Being the 'B' effort it undoubtedly is the action is fast and not much effort is taken in deep character development. Rondo Hatton apart from playing this memorable character really has very little to work with and most of his time is spent on creating a frightening presence leading up to the murders. Virginia Grey, one of Hollywood's most beautiful starlets in countless 1930's vehicles really makes the most of her screen time and delivers an interesting performance. Why real stardom alluded this talented woman is one of Hollywood's many mysteries. The look and feel of 'House of Horrors', is typical of Universal's products in the 1930's and 40's. Despite the small budget they have managed to put together a polished production that looks good even by today's standards. Marcel's weird sculptures in his equally strange studio dont exactly add up to being a 'house of horrors', however the very off beat art work present really adds that strange dimension to his unhinged character and gives the film its appropiately eerie feel.

Being a big fan of these Universal horror efforts I can say that 'House of Horrors', is not their best effort but it does make a highly entertaining hour and a half. Regardless of whether it was right or wrong to manipulate Rondo Hatton like this they were responsible for bringing to life one of the 1940's decade most memeorable villians. Still remembered to this day for his work in this effort Rondo Hatton has in a way earned horror movie immortality because of it which I guess is not such a bad thing. Check out the eerie goings in the sinister 'House of Horrors', soon and see one of Universal Studios more memorable creations of the 1940's in the frightening 'Creeper".

Just because a movie is bad doesn't mean people won't like it. House of Horrors is a B-schlock classic. Contrived, marginal acting, sub-intelligent plot, low-brow entertainment, fantastic! And I find the contention that poor Rondo Hattan was "exploited" to be very tiresome. The guy has gone down into cinematic history! He has a solid fan base nearly 60 years after his death. Tom Cruise, Richard Gere and others adored purely on their looks can only hope to be so fondly remembered. I give House of Horrors a B for Bad. And that's damn good.

A second string suspense thriller from Universal Studios. A crazed sculptor and a brute killer form an unholy alliance and spread dreadful death through the art community. The best thing this little movie has going for it is Rondo Hatton as The Creeper. Hatton suffered from a disfiguring bone disease and he played horror roles without makeup. He goes around snapping the spines of nasty art critics who disparage the work of his sculptor friend. Hatton's range as an actor was limited, but he managed to project some of the melancholy isolation from the world that was a trademark of Boris Karloff's portrayal of the Frankenstein monster. His friendship with De Lange, the sculptor, recalls the monster and Ygor. The script is guilty of second rate cliches. Most of the attempts at witty remarks sound corny and fall flat. Robert Lowery plays a Vargas type illustrator who specializes in cheesecake art. Baby boomers may recall Lowery as Big Tim Champion of the old "Circus Boy" TV program. Look close, and you can see Virginia Christine (later Mrs. Olson of Folgers Coffee fame) as a doomed streetwalker. Throw it all in the blender and you have a lightweight but enjoyable thriller. It's good stuff for collectors of Grade B horror flicks. Other viewers should tread carefully. ;-)

I don't understand why some of these old B horror and sci-fi films get passed over for DVD release. This film although not great is certainly worthy of at least a simple DVD release. How about a Rondo Hatton DVD set with this film and 'The Brute Man' on a double feature? There are a number of memorable old B movies and thrillers that have yet to get their due. Here is a list of films from many genres for starters, can you name some others you think worthy? Please let me know so I can add new enties to the list.


1)The Beast From Hollow Mountain
2)The Monster From Piedras Blancas
3)The Amazing Colossal Man
4)I Was A Teenage Werewolf
5)I Was A Teenage Frankenstein
6)Invasion Of The Saucer Men - NO U.S. RELEASE! WTF!
7)House Of Horrors
8)Night Walker
9)War Of The Gargantuas - NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD!
10)Berserk
11)It Conquered The World
12)The Nanny - NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD!
13)The Cyclops
14)The Gorgon - NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD!
15)The Deadly Bees NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD!
16)The Brain Eaters
17)Willard(original)
18)The Green Slime
19)Rodan - NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD!
20)The Stepfather - No U.S. Release!..Why?
21)Homebodies
22)Psychic Killer NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD!
23)Crime School - WHAT ????
24)Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark - TV Movie
25)Bad Ronald - TV Movie
26)Dark Night Of The Scarecrow -TV Movie
27)Tarzan's Three Challenges
28)Night Of The Creeps - Coming Soon!
29)It Came From Hollywood
30)Plain Clothes
31)Sweet Hostage - TV Movie
32)Wrestling Ernest Hemingway - A CRIME
33)African Queen - WHAT????
34)Island Of Lost Souls! Classic horror!
35)Killdozer - TV Movie
36)Trapped - TV Movie
37)The Boy Who Cried Werewolf - TV Movie
38)Buster And Billie
39)Bobby Jo And The Outlaw
40)Jungle Woman
41)Jungle Captive
42)The Monster And The Girl
43)The Mad Ghoul
44)Murders In The Zoo
45)Night Monster - NOW AVAILBLE ON DVD!


That's all the films that come to mind at the moment I will add to it as they come to me.....oh the injustice! :-(..........

I remember seeing this film on Saturday afternoons. The mood of the film was frightening enough for a 10 year old imagination. Rondo Hatton also appears in a Sherlock Holmes film with Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce entitled "The Pearl of Death". It is based on the Holmes story "The Six Napoleons".

This is another Universal horror film from the 1940's, when both budgets and quality levels shrank dramatically. "House of Horrors" is one of the worst of the genre, with an inept cast and an idiotic plot. The only cast member capable of generating either interest or sympathy is Rondo Hatton; the others are forgettable. Interesting only as a curiosity. The real horror here is the astonishing level of ineptitude it took to make a movie this bad.

The films premise is simple and inept, look how ugly the Creeper is ! Rondo Hatton who was disfigured due to being gassed in the trenches in WW1, which caused his limbs to grow abnormally is throughly exploited in this disgusting attempt at entertainment. Apart from the fact that the Creeper cycle of films were diabolically poor in the first place and that as far as I can remember when it was first released the ads said "See the ugliest man in Hollywood, The ugliest man alive" as at draw for the audience is a sign of a very very poor production. The only good thing that came out of this cinematic offal is that Hatton ended up marrying one of the most beautiful starlets of the time I cant remember her name but I do remember a reporter asking how she could marry such an ugly man. From a time America should be ashamed of this repugnent trash should be shown to people in an object lesson on how insensitive and ignorant we humans can be.