The Spider Woman Strikes Back

This movie promises to be a sequel to the Sherlock Holmes movie, "The Spider Woman". It isn't. True, Gale Sondergard is the villainess and "Spider Woman" is in the title, but that's where any similarity ends. It's not a horrible film, but it's disappointing to tease the viewer with the promise of something that isn't there.

Rondo Hatton plays a mute, deformed servant. Too bad that he was so exploited.

I do wish Universal had made this a true sequel to the Holmes film. It would have been more interesting.

It's hard to hate anything with Gale Sondergaard in it. This subpar Universal thriller is light on thrills or chills. It's not much fun either. It does move quickly, however. As I realized the film was reaching its climax I was surprised as I thought it had only been on maybe half an hour. Outside of Sondergaard and (visually, at least) Rondo Hatton, the cast is pretty forgettable. The script is riddled with holes, too. When the villain reveals their big master plan I guarantee you'll say "Wait, what? Really? But what about..." It's that kind of movie. Still, it's watchable enough. Fans of Universal's horror classics from this period will enjoy it more than most.

Despite the title and the fact that Gale Sondegaard stars in both films this is not a sequel to the Sherlock Holmes movie "The Spider Woman". Brenda Joyce plays Jean Kinsley, a young woman who gains employment as a companion to the apparently blind Zenobia Dollard (Sondegaard). However Zenobia is a cunning mad scientist, who with the help of her creepy butler/assistant Mario (Rondo Hatton) is cultivating carnivorous plants in order to drive away the farmers off land that her family once owned. The film is well filmed, fast paced and has an eerie feel to it, helped by the musical score, however the plot is pretty daft and the fiery finale is a bit weak. But the most appealing thing for me is Rondo Hatton, one of the most recognisable classic horror stars. He suffered with a growth defect called acromegaly which resulted in enlargement of the facial bones, hands etc, and unlike Lon Chaney, Boris Karloff, and so on he requited no make up to turn him into a "brute". Strikes Back was released after his tragic death.

The classy Gale Sondergaard ("The Mark of Zorro") stars as Zenobia Dollard, a blind recluse who lives with a mute, hulking henchman named Mario (Rondo Hatton, "The Brute Man"). She goes through young female assistants quickly; perky, pretty Jean Kingsley (Brenda Joyce, "Pillow of Death") is the latest to offer her services. Zenobia turns out to be up to no good, with her schemes involving a greenhouse full of carnivorous, blood-sucking plants.

Although obviously a very minor genre picture from this era, with a less than stellar script, it still delivers its goods with efficiency, incorporating elements from various horror sub-genres and giving the distinctive Hatton a decent showcase as a "monster" with something of a conscience. The principal value lies with the cast. While some people may cringe seeing Ms. Sondergaard in this sort of fare, she does elevate it with her presence; she's deliciously evil. Joyce, the second actress of the sound era to play Jane in "Tarzan" movies, is appealing, as is Kirby Grant ('Sky King') as the nice guy rancher in love with her. Milburn Stone ('Gunsmoke') and Hobart Cavanaugh ("A Letter to Three Wives") round out the principal cast members.

Directed by Arthur Lubin ("The Incredible Mr. Limpet", 'Mister Ed') directs this fast-moving entertainment that may not be high art, but is NOT trying to be, either. It does just fine for people looking for a 40s B picture with a nice and trim run time (a mere 60 minutes in this case).

Six out of 10.

Gale Sondergaard was terribly misused by Universal Studio's. She had a great talent but was wasted in grade Z film's such as this tripe. Two years before she had made a big impression as one Sherlock Holmes most diabolical and resourceful adversaries in "The Spider Woman" 1944. She and Basil Rathbone were wonderful as they tried to one up each other right to the end. This movie promised to be a return of that original character. But that wasn't the case.It's a mystery with more plot holes the you could imagine with a story line that makes very little sense.

Brenda Joyce is the damsel in distress, and Kirby Grant is her rescuer and hero of the story. Grant went on to play Sky King a decade later. Rondo Hatton is around to be sinister but is just sort of "there".

You can figure out what's going on fairly quickly. The question becomes WHY is it going on. When that WHY is reveled at the end of the film it's totally unsatisfying. If you are are a Sondergaard fan you will like the way she gives it her all to keep things going. She's the only reason to watch this picture. Beyond that there really isn't anything to recommend The Spider Woman Strikes Back.