[go: up one dir, main page]

    Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

House of Horrors

  • 1946
  • Approved
  • 1h 5m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
Virginia Grey, Rondo Hatton, Robert Lowery, and Joan Shawlee in House of Horrors (1946)
AdventureCrimeDramaHorrorRomanceThriller

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
    • Jean Yarbrough
  • Writers
    • George Bricker
    • Dwight V. Babcock
  • Stars
    • Robert Lowery
    • Virginia Grey
    • Bill Goodwin
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    1.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jean Yarbrough
    • Writers
      • George Bricker
      • Dwight V. Babcock
    • Stars
      • Robert Lowery
      • Virginia Grey
      • Bill Goodwin
    • 40User reviews
    • 33Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos42

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 35
    View Poster

    Top cast19

    Edit
    Robert Lowery
    Robert Lowery
    • Steven Morrow
    Virginia Grey
    Virginia Grey
    • Joan Medford
    Bill Goodwin
    Bill Goodwin
    • Police Lt. Larry Brooks
    Martin Kosleck
    Martin Kosleck
    • Marcel De Lange
    Alan Napier
    Alan Napier
    • F. Holmes Harmon
    Howard Freeman
    Howard Freeman
    • Hal Ormiston
    Virginia Christine
    Virginia Christine
    • Lady of the Streets
    Joan Shawlee
    Joan Shawlee
    • Stella McNally
    • (as Joan Fulton)
    Rondo Hatton
    Rondo Hatton
    • The Creeper
    Oliver Blake
    Oliver Blake
    • The Janitor
    • (uncredited)
    Mary Field
    Mary Field
    • Nora - Switchboard Operator
    • (uncredited)
    Byron Foulger
    Byron Foulger
    • Mr. Samuels
    • (uncredited)
    Perc Launders
    • Smitty - Typesetter
    • (uncredited)
    Terry Mason
    • Clarence - Copy Boy
    • (uncredited)
    William Newell
    William Newell
    • Deputy Coroner
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Parker
    • Elevator Boy
    • (uncredited)
    Syd Saylor
    Syd Saylor
    • Jerry - Morgue Attendant
    • (uncredited)
    Janet Shaw
    Janet Shaw
    • Taxicab Driver
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jean Yarbrough
    • Writers
      • George Bricker
      • Dwight V. Babcock
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews40

    6.11.4K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    6dibbleduane

    Kosleck is terrificl

    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.
    10tcchelsey

    REMEMBERING RONDO HATTON

    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.
    9jamesroyhold

    Very good

    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!
    5utgard14

    Beware the Creeper

    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.
    7Hey_Sweden

    "An annoying habit on the part of women: screaming."

    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.

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Rondo 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.
    • Goofs
      After 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.

    • Connections
      Featured in Svengoolie: House of Horrors (1998)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ14

    • How long is House of Horrors?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 29, 1946 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La mansión del mal
    • Filming locations
      • Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 5 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Virginia Grey, Rondo Hatton, Robert Lowery, and Joan Shawlee in House of Horrors (1946)
    Top Gap
    By what name was House of Horrors (1946) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.