IMDb RATING
6.1/10
1.4K
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An unsuccessful sculptor saves a madman named "The Creeper" from drowning. Seeing an opportunity for revenge, he tricks the psycho into murdering his critics.An unsuccessful sculptor saves a madman named "The Creeper" from drowning. Seeing an opportunity for revenge, he tricks the psycho into murdering his critics.An unsuccessful sculptor saves a madman named "The Creeper" from drowning. Seeing an opportunity for revenge, he tricks the psycho into murdering his critics.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
Joan Shawlee
- Stella McNally
- (as Joan Fulton)
Oliver Blake
- The Janitor
- (uncredited)
Mary Field
- Nora - Switchboard Operator
- (uncredited)
Byron Foulger
- Mr. Samuels
- (uncredited)
Perc Launders
- Smitty - Typesetter
- (uncredited)
Terry Mason
- Clarence - Copy Boy
- (uncredited)
William Newell
- Deputy Coroner
- (uncredited)
Jack Parker
- Elevator Boy
- (uncredited)
Syd Saylor
- Jerry - Morgue Attendant
- (uncredited)
Janet Shaw
- Taxicab Driver
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
I first saw this in 1958 on Chicagos Shock Theater.martin koslecks performance is wonderful.please check out his work in the frozen ghost,the mummy's curse and the flesh eaters.
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.
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.
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!
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!
Struggling artist (Martin Kosleck) intends to kill himself but winds up saving the life of serial killer The Creeper (Rondo Hatton) instead. Afterwards, he sends The Creeper out to murder his critics. When another artist (Robert Lowery) is suspected of being the killer, his girlfriend (Virginia Grey) investigates and finds the clues lead to Kosleck and The Creeper. Nice cast, weak script. Alan Napier is fun as one of the critics. This is one of the lesser Universal horror films made at the end of their second horror cycle. It's mainly of interest for Universal completists and those interested in the disfigured Hatton. It's certainly better than Hatton's next (and last) movie, Brute Man.
In the Sherlock Holmes mystery "The Pearl of Death", an ominous character dubbed The Creeper had been debuted. The Creeper was played by a man named Rondo Hatton, who had been handsome as a youth, but had his facial features disfigured by acromegaly (a possible result of exposure to poison gas during WWI). The success of this character inspired Universal to create more movies that would focus on him, instead of making him a side player.
The first of the bunch was "House of Horrors", a story about a despondent, failed sculptor named Marcel DeLange (the great bad guy actor Martin Kosleck), who rescues the Creeper from a river, not knowing that the guy is a notorious serial killer. Soon, Marcel finds that the guy comes in handy, as he proceeds to bump off the nasty art critics that are the bane of the sculptors' existence (and the existence of other artists in the city). But Marcel won't be able to keep this secret forever....
Hatton is the main reason to watch here, playing a brute with a real screen presence. The script, by George Bricker, is often hilarious with its assortment of sardonic lines and witticisms, but the humour often works against the horror, taking up perhaps too much of the running time. But the whole cast is great: Robert Lowery as a temperamental painter, a stunning Joan Shawlee as his model, a sassy and sexy Virginia Grey as his girlfriend, Bill Goodwin as the obligatory cop on the case, Alan Napier as the acid-tongued critic F. Holmes Harmon, Virginia Christine as an incidental victim, and Howard Freeman as a critic who attempts to be the bait in a police trap. Kosleck is wonderful as a man who's worthy of some sympathy, even though he ultimately goes off the deep end.
Good atmosphere and a snappy pace are assets, as well as the assortment of truly dynamite-looking ladies (including Janet Shaw as a cabdriver).
Seven out of 10.
The first of the bunch was "House of Horrors", a story about a despondent, failed sculptor named Marcel DeLange (the great bad guy actor Martin Kosleck), who rescues the Creeper from a river, not knowing that the guy is a notorious serial killer. Soon, Marcel finds that the guy comes in handy, as he proceeds to bump off the nasty art critics that are the bane of the sculptors' existence (and the existence of other artists in the city). But Marcel won't be able to keep this secret forever....
Hatton is the main reason to watch here, playing a brute with a real screen presence. The script, by George Bricker, is often hilarious with its assortment of sardonic lines and witticisms, but the humour often works against the horror, taking up perhaps too much of the running time. But the whole cast is great: Robert Lowery as a temperamental painter, a stunning Joan Shawlee as his model, a sassy and sexy Virginia Grey as his girlfriend, Bill Goodwin as the obligatory cop on the case, Alan Napier as the acid-tongued critic F. Holmes Harmon, Virginia Christine as an incidental victim, and Howard Freeman as a critic who attempts to be the bait in a police trap. Kosleck is wonderful as a man who's worthy of some sympathy, even though he ultimately goes off the deep end.
Good atmosphere and a snappy pace are assets, as well as the assortment of truly dynamite-looking ladies (including Janet Shaw as a cabdriver).
Seven out of 10.
Did you know
- TriviaRondo Hatton is the original Monster Without Make-up. He suffered from acromegaly, the disease caused disfigurement to face, spine, hands and feet. Doctors believed what set off this glandular disease in Rondo was exposure to poison gas in World War I.
- GoofsAfter the Creeper kills De Lange and smashes the bust, Joan runs to the studio door and finds it locked. It would have been much more sensible for her to have tried fleeing the studio while De Lange and the Creeper were fighting.
- Quotes
F. Holmes Harmon: [Hearing someone come in but not turning around] If you're the janitor, come back later. If you're anyone else, there's a window at the end of the hall, jump out of it.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Svengoolie: House of Horrors (1998)
- How long is House of Horrors?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 5 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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