The Undying Monster

The basic plot: The Curse of the Hammond family takes place on hilly english Moors and a detective comes to investigate the occurences.

The Praise: Eerie atmosphere,sets,werewolf jingle and excellent photography are sprinkled with shadows and good soundtrack effects(muffled bells,dogs barking ,wind rustling).The complex sets are cavernous ,gothic and lined with stained glass.Efficient acting ,strong beginning help. More of a taut little thriller than a horror film. Very rarely shown . The flaws:The very short running time is ridden with too much corny comic relief and talky padding ,as is the case in many horror flicks of the 40s. You also hardly see the werewolf.

In the 1930s and 40s, Hollywood made thousands of "B" movies--movies that had lower budgets and were made to run as the lesser of the two films at a double-feature. This little mystery-horror film is one of the better ones I've seen in some time--thanks to surprisingly decent performances and a novel and well-written script--things you don't normally find in Bs.

The film begins with an attack by what seems to be an animal on some rich folks at their country manor in Britain. While an inspector from Scotland Yard investigates, it soon becomes obvious that many people there are trying to hide the truth. Some claim the attack was the result of a mythical beast that has haunted this family for generations, though the inspector is naturally very dubious of this.

The film excels in that the script is lacking the usual holes and logical errors common to B-movies. Plus, while there is a horror element, the film really succeeds as a mystery and suspense film. About the only problem in the film, and it's a small one, is that one of the characters (the hot-shot female investigator) is a bit obnoxious and stupid from time to time. However, this is a tiny problem only and seeing the forensics employed in the film is really quite fascinating today.

Helga Hammond (Heather Angel) and her brother Oliver Hammond (John Howard) live in an isolated mansion with their staff. There is a legend of a curse in the Hammond family but Helga does not believe it is true. When a woman is murdered and Oliver is attacked in a frozen night, Scotland Yard Detective Robert Curtis (James Ellison) and his assistant Christy (Heather Thatcher) are assigned to investigate the case. Dr. Jeff Colbert (Bramwell Fletcher), who is the Hammond doctor and friend, becomes the prime suspect of Robert since he does not give any support to the investigation. What is the secret of the Hammond monster?

"The Undying Monster" is an enjoyable but predictable werewolf film. Christy is an annoying character but the film is a pleasant surprise. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Segredo do Monstro" ("The Secret of the Monster")

The Undying Monster is a screenplay of a mystery novel about the legend concerning a particular old English family (the Hammonds), and as such, is an excellent outing. The Sherlock Holmes mystery adventure,'The Hound of the Baskervilles' received great acclaim even though at the conclusion, the legend proved to be a hoax, whereas in 'The Undying Monster' the legend was based on the 'real deal'. The unique story (with it's unexplained incidents throughout the family history, the unanswered questions, the hints,clues,innuendos,insinuations, and so on) plus the production values essential for an effective suspense atmosphere (the sets, musical score,sound effects, and a pace that was kept fresh by diversionary light humored relief which is necessary to keep the viewer engulfed in an old english mystery story and not losing them through drama fatigue) are all there.

The Undying Monster belongs to the same genre of films that Val Lewton was producing at RKO in the forties: something I call 'gothic noir'. Lucien Ballard's rich black and white photography hints of his future work on noir classics like Laura and The Killing, and John Brahm's assured direction makes the absolute most of the rather pedestrian scenario. There are some simply amazing compositions for what was obviously a second feature, and the cast is buoyed by stalwarts Halliwell Hobbes and Holmes Herbert (I love the way their names sound together!). There's even a brief scene that features a shaky cam in extreme closeup--half a century before Blair Witch Project. Highest recommendation for noir fans, though blood and guts horror mavens will probably be disappointed.