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The Crimes of Stephen Hawke

  • 19361936
  • 1h 9m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
264
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
218,608
5,489
The Crimes of Stephen Hawke (1936)
CrimeDramaThriller
A crazed killer known as "The Spinebreaker" is terrorizing London with a series of grisly murders. The police seem powerless to stop him.A crazed killer known as "The Spinebreaker" is terrorizing London with a series of grisly murders. The police seem powerless to stop him.A crazed killer known as "The Spinebreaker" is terrorizing London with a series of grisly murders. The police seem powerless to stop him.
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
264
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
218,608
5,489
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • George King
    • Writers
      • Jack Celestin(dialogue)
      • Frederick Hayward(screenplay)
      • H.F. Maltby(additional dialogue)
    • Stars
      • Tod Slaughter
      • Marjorie Taylor
      • D.J. Williams
    Top credits
    • Director
      • George King
    • Writers
      • Jack Celestin(dialogue)
      • Frederick Hayward(screenplay)
      • H.F. Maltby(additional dialogue)
    • Stars
      • Tod Slaughter
      • Marjorie Taylor
      • D.J. Williams
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 18User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos

    The Crimes of Stephen Hawke (1936)
    The Crimes of Stephen Hawke (1936)
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    Top cast

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    Tod Slaughter
    Tod Slaughter
    • Stephen Hawke
    Marjorie Taylor
    • Julia Hawke
    D.J. Williams
    • Joshua Trimble
    Eric Portman
    Eric Portman
    • Matthew Trimble
    Graham Soutten
    • Nathaniel
    • (as Ben Soutten)
    Gerald Barry
    • Miles Archer
    George M. Slater
    • Lord Brickhaven
    Charles Penrose
    • Sir Franklin
    Norman Pierce
    • Landlord
    Flotsam and Jetsam
    • Themselves
    B.C. Hilliam
    • Self
    • (as Flotsam)
    Malcolm 'Mr. Jetsam' McEachern
    • Self
    • (as Jetsam)
    Cecil Bevan
    • Small Boy's Father
    • (uncredited)
    Annie Esmond
    Annie Esmond
    • Small Boy's Nanny
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Sharp
    • Policeman
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Terry
    Harry Terry
    • First Prisoner
    • (uncredited)
    Ben Williams
    • Prison Warder
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • George King
    • Writers
      • Jack Celestin(dialogue)
      • Frederick Hayward(screenplay)
      • H.F. Maltby(additional dialogue)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Connections
      Featured in Doom Asylum (1987)
    • Soundtracks
      The Tempest
      (uncredited)

      Music by J.S. Zamecnik

    User reviews18

    Review
    Top review
    Perhaps Slaughter's Best
    The Crimes of Stephen Hawke (1936)

    ** 1/2 (out of 4)

    London is under a crippling terror as people are being crushed to death by a man known as The Spinebreaker (Tod Slaughter).

    THE CRIMES OF STEPHEN HAWKE starts out unlike any other movie that I can remember. It starts off at a radio station where we basically get a radio broadcast for the first seven or eight minutes and then we finally get to the main story. In a rather shocking manor, it starts off with a child being murdered.

    This here was the third film Slaughter made following THE MURDER IN THE RED BARN and THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. Britain had pretty much put a ban on American horror movies and these British films had to walk a careful line. With that said, this here makes the murder of a child all the more shocking. There are some rather graphic and violent deaths for the era, although they aren't bloody or gory. The sound effects and screams of the people being crushed are certainly the highlight of the picture.

    As was often the case with these films, the main reason people watch them today is for the over-the-top and at times wacky performance by Slaughter. I don't know how to describe him other than saying he was like John Barrymore had he gone insane and had a mental breakdown to the point where he was a raving dog. Once again he's all over the place here and he really makes himself stand apart from the other actors. The other actors are good but they just can't overtake the all-mighty Slaughter.

    As far as the film goes, it's certainly a bit better than the star's previous two films and a strong argument could be made that this here is about as entertaining as his horror pictures got.
    helpful•1
    0
    • Michael_Elliott
    • Oct 5, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 1936 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Crimen y pasión
    • Production company
      • George King Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 9 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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