House of Horrors

Lunacy abounds...mostly amongst the few comments about this b-picture gem, but to that later. In this horror film, the lunacy of artist Martin Koslek directing the killer tendencies of Rondo Hatton to dispatch unfavorable art critics is inspired. It's quite a contrast to watch Koslek be wonderfully melodramatic while Hatton remains as flat as a board, which is perfect for his character. All this is done within the context of the period, and with all the elements mixing in a way to create, perhaps serendipitously, a chilling and vastly entertaining blend.

To the dimwits who have not been able to see beyond the constraints of their modern attitudes and mores, you are missing it. Rondo Hatton did not "intensely dislike" his brief career as a film fright figure, he was indifferent to it, and the prevailing common attitude towards working women in 1940s America was that they eventually would become married, stay-at-home mothers. The film isn't 'anti-feminist' at a time when the term feminist wasn't used, and when both men and women, not all but most, felt this way of life was appropriate.

So to you dunces I say, march onward, great re-writers of history, and make sure you burn Birth of a Nation, and continue to press Disney to never release Song of the South. Perhaps we ought to ban the Three Stooges, as well, for their insensitive, boorish portrayal of the common working man, and of course, to add insult to injury, they were also Jewish.

Rondo Hatton is my hero. Who cares if he wasn't a classically trained actor?! As The Creeper he tugs the heart-strings like a pro! He's got heart! He's got soul! He's got courage! He's also damned likable! Rondo is also one hell of a hero. Rondo took the crummy hand that fate dealt him and played it magnificently. He became one of the most endearing and cool anti-heroes of all B-moviedom! To experience Rondo as The Creeper is to experience pure magic! I watched horror movies as kid and always loved "the monster". A good "monster" gets my vote every damn time. The Creeper fits that bill perfectly and better than most. The Creeper is one of my all time favorite fright flick anti-heroes. GOD BLESS YOU RONDO HATTON!

Maybe it was because my expectations were low, but saw this on "Svenghoulie's" show and enjoyed it as an old black and white creepy movie from the late 1940s just as a Saturday night sort of thing. Not great but had some especially bright spots and a pretty decent cast and storyline, and kept you wondering what the outcome would be right up to the end. I kept expecting the story to fall apart at some point as it usually does in the ones shown on this show, but it kept continuing to be fairly engaging and had some cultural references to the art world that kept it fun to watch. I liked the portrayal of art critics and the art theme, and fun to see the actor who played "Big Jim Champion" on "Circus Boy" in a lead role, along with the monster dude who was an interesting character and had an interesting life story outside of the movie. All in all, fun to watch if you like old movies from the '40s and just want to see something not too deep or demanding that might remind you of a past era you find yourself able to get lost in.

This movie is so much better than what I thought it'd be. Both Rondo Hatton as the psycho killer and Martin Kosleck as an artist driven to madness by unkind critics are villains, yet both are sympathetic in a way. What is especially touching is Kosleck's interaction with his pet cat and the closing scene where the cat curls up by his dead body. (Or did he die? The dialogue isn't clear on it.) It was effective and sorrowful.

My sole complaint is the woefully brief appearance of Virginia Christine as Creeper's first victim. I hardly had a chance to recognize her before she was offed. I always enjoy her early film appearances because she was an out and out fox. I would so much have enjoyed seeing her as the tennis model instead. Hubba-hubba!

One thing many film buffs don't know is that Rondo Hatton was a hero in World War I, buried with honors not long after this film was completed. He obviously attracted Hollywood because of his looks and associated illness, which, according to bio records, may have been a direct result of him being gassed on the battlefield. It was a tragic twist of fate, however he rose to become one of the most famous monsters (without makeup) in screen history.

HOUSE OF HORRORS, long a fave on tv, is a solid chiller. Hatton is teamed with another memorable villain, none other than Martin Kosleck, remembered for his portrayals of Nazi commanders. Kosleck plays a sculptor whose career is ruined by a ruthless art critic... Call in "The Creeper" to crush the critic! And so it goes. The typical revenge plot that Universal employed in so many of its chillers that kept all of us kids on the edge of our seat.

But the best was Rondo Hatton, simply unforgettable as a real walking nightmare, who must have been genuinely frightening when first seen by audiences. There's a good story and supporting cast at work here, particularly Alan Napier as the arrogant critic who gets his, though the hulking Creeper takes top honors, not forgetting that pronounced slow walk and his extended arms.

The Creeper was actually born in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. In the PEARL OF DEATH, shot two years earlier, Rondo Hatton introduced his frightening character as the killer of those who held a legendary, but deadly pearl in their possession. The Creeper was so well received, the studio made Hatton an overnight star. He even had a home in Beverly Hills. Only in Hollywood! A classic thriller, which actually was one of the last horror films Universal produced in the mid 1940s and, perhaps, one of the most profound. Watch this one with the door opened, just a crack... What you call real camp

Best dvd box set via Universal/TCM. Released 2009.