Director: John Brahm
Year: 1942
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Werewolf
Plot:
Unconcerned with a family legend about werewolves, a woman returns to her family’s castle, where almost immediately they are attacked by creatures claiming to be from the legend and are forced to call in Scotland Yard inspectors to uncover their motive and stop their deadly intentions.
Review:
This one was really surprising with how good it actually was. One of the main factors to be had here is the incredibly fun and well-intentioned setup that manages to bring about a solid storyline. With the main focus here on the family legend involving the belief that the house is haunted not just by the spirits of the past inhabitants of the house who lived and died there, but that it connects to the notion of a werewolf stalking the grounds, the idea for old-fashioned Gothic shenanigans is quite clearly laid out. The talk about curses, disjointed family legacies, secrets, and a house on the hillside that perfectly serves as a fine location to do that offers a great touch that’s only enhanced by how it's really atmospheric.
There's a large number of scenes out in the wilderness with huge heaps of fog rolling in from off-screen, most notably in the opening. From the moon-lit walk through the forest with the fog rolling in that obstructs objects in the distance to the off-screen animal howls that come out of nowhere, which add to the proceedings, and it makes for some really impressive scenes. The throwaway scene of a carriage arriving at the estate is also shown to be arriving with fog creeping in on the party, and it adds to the fact that no matter where they investigate the strange noises or sightings taking place around the house, it's also dark and spooky, which gives the surroundings a much more creepy feel.
The other enjoyable factor here is the strong finale as the werewolf finally makes an appearance and attacks the household, which is quite nice. The growls and screams of terror pierce the air at the right frequency and urgency to send a shiver down the spine, and the chase out into the outdoors is handled properly to make it a big presence. The fight inside the mausoleum is a nice addition, making nice use of the surroundings and being a bit of a brawl, going back and forth between the combatants and each one getting beaten and doing the beating. It nicely stands out from the weak middle as it's during the investigation scenes, and it is one of the high points of the film. This really wasn't all that bad and was a nice surprise.
There really isn't too much in here that's off. The main thing that's wrong is that the investigation scenes in the middle go on a little too long. It's some nicely written scenes, and they play out nicely in taking the story and giving it some real meat, but they transpire like second-rate detective stories that have been done better in countless different films. Rather than actually being hidden and some real detective work involved, it's all laid out in the open and is stumbled upon. It doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the detectives when the clues used to deduce the crime could have been found by just about anyone. The lack of on-screen werewolf action, or even the creature itself, until the very end may cause concern from the hardcore fans, but otherwise, this wasn't all that bad of a film.
Overview: ****/5
It gets a little talky at points, but that doesn't detract from this being a rather decent affair. It's atmospheric, entertaining, and has some good things going for it, so fans of the werewolf genre or similar classic-era genre films will want to check this one, as should all fans of classic horror, while those turned off by these factors should heed caution.
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