Man in the Attic (1953)

Director:

Hugo Fregonese

Writers:

Marie Belloc Lowndes (novel)
Barré Lyndon (writer)

Release Date:

23 December 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The Life...The Loves...The Crimes of Jack the Ripper!

Plot:

London, 1888: on the night of the third Jack the Ripper killing, soft-spoken Mr. Slade, a research pathologist...

Plot Keywords:

Jack The Ripper | Pathologist | River | Period Piece | Doctor

Cast

Jack Palance	...	Slade
Constance Smith	...	Lily Bonner
Byron Palmer	...	Insp. Paul Warwick
Frances Bavier	...	Helen Harley
Rhys Williams	...	William Harley
Sean McClory	...	Constable #1
Leslie Bradley	...	Constable #2
Tita Phillips	...	Daisy (the maid)
Lester Matthews	...	Chief Insp. Melville (as Lester Mathews)
Harry Cording	...	Detective Sgt. Bates
Lisa Daniels	...	Mary Lenihan
Lilian Bond	...	Annie Rowley
Isabel Jewell	...	Katy

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Unrated (DVD) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #16755) | Sweden:15

Company:

Panoramic Productions

Quotes:

Slade: Sometimes I walk close by the river. The river is like liquid night flowing peacefully out to infinity.

Movie Connections:

Remake of The Lodger (1944)

Soundtrack:

YOU'RE IN LOVE

Decent Jack the Ripper yarn

There is no shortage of films based on London's most notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper, but in spite of this fact: Man in the Attic is a welcome addition to the list of films concerning The Ripper. It can't be said that Man in the Attic is a great film, but it's certainly a good one and did everything I had hoped it would do. The plot here is basically the same one featured in Hitchcock's silent classic 'The Lodger', as well as a whole host of other films. We follow the plot as a mysterious man moves into a house owned by an elderly coupled and co-habited by their actress niece. The Jack the Ripper murders are happening around the same time, and it's not long before the lodger's strange nature leads the lady of the couple to believe that they may be renting their spare room to a serial killer! Director Hugo Fregonese gives the film a great atmosphere; the smoky streets of London look superb and really give this story a good place to take place in. There's also a great score that helps to add to the atmosphere. The film focuses more on Jack the Ripper himself and his situation, and there are very little details of the actual killings, and certainly no gore...which is something of a shame, but the way that the film sets its focus and sticks to it is to its advantage. The plot moves fairly slowly and the mystery is never overly exciting; but it's not too much of a problem because the characters are interesting and Jack Palance is spot on as the reclusive killer. Overall, Man in the Attic is a wholly satisfying yarn that entertains despite not being brilliant.