The Hidden Hand

This is an example of the Dark and Stormy Night motif. A maniac from an insane asylum escapes and makes his way to the house of his wealthy sister. Once there, she enlists him in playing a nasty prank on several heirs to her fortune. She uses a drug to make her look dead with the idea of being revived later. This will force the vultures to attack one another. Meanwhile, the nut case brother begins a little killing spree. The down side is the black servant who is treated like dirt. Of course, he is a mass of stereotypes, typical of the time period.

An escapee from an institution returns home to the house of his sister, who arranged his escape. Gathering her family together, she intends using her brother to kill them.

While this is a relatively entertaining B film, it is ultimately neither a comedy or a thriller although it has elements of both. Milton Parsons is sinister as the brother with the underused and underrated Willie Best supplying the comedy.

This is no "Halloween", but I really enjoyed this movie..not for the scares, but for the laughs. It was a great way to pass a couple of hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon in the middle of winter. Willie Best was really entertaining. The other characters did just enough and although it was very campy by today's standards, I can't fault any of them. At the end when the policemen all left the house satisfied that they had solved the crime (but left all the bodies in the hidden basement well), I laughed right out loud. I found this movie on the Turner Classic movie channel, where I watch most of the black and white movies I enjoy. If you just look at it as pure entertainment, you'd be sure to enjoy it.

The Hidden Hand is such an odd little movie, it only stands at around an hour and deals with serious subjects. Yet at the same time it's rife with comedy leaving the whole movie feeling muddled yet oddly entertaining.

It tells the story of a crazed killer who returns home and becomes embroiled in a plot to put a womans greedy siblings through their paces as they all want her dead to claim the inheritance.

Though many of the characters aren't great we do have some who stand out and steal the entire movie. Ontop of that it looks amazing for it's time and delivers both chills and genuine belly laughs.

It's hard to categorize The Hidden Hand due to it's extremes in content but I can't take away from it's quality.

Fun, gripping and fascinating.

The Good:

Milton Parsons & Willie Best

Fantastic story

Great execution

Looks amazing for 1942

The Bad:

Tad short

Weirdly constructed

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

The Hidden Hand is what would happen if Edgar Alan Poe made a movie with Disney!

There was a time when every major studio turned out "B" movies, 60 minute quickies to fill a double bill. "The Hidden Hand," for example. It features a group of credible, little-known actors (aside from Craig Stevens who had not yet played Peter Gunn) and keeps the budget slim by using only one set, a mysterious mansion where members of a greedy family gather to be knocked off. Why are there a pair of homicidal hands behind the painting in the living room? How come the carpet nearby hides a quick dip in a watery grave?? And how did the mistress of the manor get out of the crypt in which she was interred to plot the demise of her house guests? At least, the cast includes Milton Parsons who is either the funniest or scariest butler to escape an insane asylum. In short, a surprisingly entertaining throwback.