Night Monster (1942)

Kurt Ingston, a rich recluse, invites the doctors who left him a hopeless cripple to his desolate mansion in the swamps as one by one they meet horrible deaths.

Director:

Ford Beebe

Writer:

Clarence Upson Young

Stars:

Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Leif Erickson

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bela Lugosi	...	Rolf
Lionel Atwill	...	Dr. King
Leif Erickson	...	Laurie (as Leif Erikson)
Irene Hervey	...	Dr. Lynn Harper
Ralph Morgan	...	Kurt Ingston
Don Porter	...	Dick Baldwin
Nils Asther	...	Agor Singh
Fay Helm	...	Margaret Ingston
Frank Reicher	...	Dr. Timmons
Doris Lloyd	...	Sarah Judd
Francis Pierlot	...	Dr. Phipps
Robert Homans	...	Constable Cap Beggs
Janet Shaw	...	Milly Carson
Eddy Waller	...	Jed Harmon
Cyril Delevanti	...	Torque

Storyline

Dr. Lynn Harper, psychologist, has been called out to the old Ingston Mansion, a dark and mysterious place with a very bad reputation, in order to make an assessment of the sanity of Margaret Ingston, daughter of patriarch Kurt Ingston. She claims to be sane, but she is clearly very disturbed; we can't be certain, although the doctor gives her a clean bill of health. But then Dick Baldwin shows up on the scene, just when Dr. Lynne has been receiving thinly veiled threats from the inhabitants of the house. He's our hero. Three medical doctors have been invited out to the mansion as well, Dr. Timmons, Dr. Phipps and the sleazy Dr. King (Lionel Atwill). One by one the doctors are mysteriously murdered. Dick Baldwin must figure out who is doing the killings, and he must do so before whoever it is can kill his new love interest, Dr. Lynne Harper. But the only one he can trust is Kurt Ingston himself, since Ingston has no legs and can't have perpetrated these murders. Is it sinister Rolf, ...

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | mansion | butler | swamp | murder | 

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Taglines:

What kind of a thing is it?

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

House of Mystery

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alfred Hitchcock attended a screening of this film, as he wanted to cast Janet Shaw in his Universal production, "Shadow of a Doubt, " thoroughly enjoyed it, and was amazed at how quickly it was shot, from July 5-18, 1942, to be released October 23, on a double bill with "The Mummy's Tomb. "

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Goofs

Dick's pipe when he and Dr Harker are driving to the mansion.

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Quotes

Margaret Ingston: Blood... the whole house reeks of it. The air is charged with death and hatred and something that's unclean!

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Connections

Featured in Coming Soon (1982)

User Reviews

A CRREPY film!!!!

A wealthy invalid (who has no arms or legs) invites the 3 doctors who attended him to his eerie, fog-shrouded mansion, where they are strangled, one by one....."and on their faces was a look of unspeakable horror"!

I'm a mystery-film buff, and i can say without a shadow of a doubt that THIS films is my All-Time Fave "spooky mystery"......the music, Lugosi, shadows on the walls, a skeleton materialising in the library, the eerie swamp, etc make it EXTREMELY atmospheric and "nightmarish"!

(In case you're wondering, my 2nd fav "Old House" film is "Dr. X").

I remember watching this film on Sat. nites in the 60's, and having a hard time going to sleep afterward. And, it's STILL creepy, after all these years!

"I can see "it" on foggy nights, keeping to the shadows...and even the frogs stopped croaking as it passed thru....."