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.

Despite its alternative title, 'House of Horrors', B-movie 'Joan Medford is Missing' isn't really a horror movie and it doesn't take place in a house: it's actually more of a crime thriller, and, for the most part, is set in the studio of struggling sculptor Marcel De Lange (Martin Kosleck), the apartment/studio of successful commercial artist Steven Morrow (Robert Lowery), and the dark streets of New York City.

When the latest work of penniless De Lange is mauled by cruel critic F. Holmes Harmon (Alan Napier), the artist goes to the docks to end his pitiful existence, but instead saves a life -- that of the wanted murderer known as The Creeper (last seen in the 1944 Sherlock Holmes adventure The Pearl of Death). Inspired by the man's unusual features (actor Rondo Hatton, who plays The Creeper, suffered from a hormonal disorder called acromegaly, which causes bones to increase in size), De Lange starts a new piece of work, but in addition to using his new found friend as a model, the sculptor also employs him as a weapon, tricking the brute into silencing his critics.

As the bodies pile up, Police Lt. Larry Brooks (Bill Goodwin) investigates, at first suspecting Morrow; however, pretty female art critic Joan Medford (who also happens to be Morrow's girlfriend) unwittingly leads the investigation in the right direction when she half-inches a sketch of The Creeper from De Lange's studio. Unfortunately, in doing so, she also makes herself a target of the over-sized spine-snapping psycho.

House of Horrors is, by and large, a predictable B-movie that delivers tepid thrills, with some whimsical interaction between Morrow and Medford. There is, however, one scene that stands out from the rest -- the brutal murder of innocent cheesecake model Stella McNally (Joan Fulton). Having introduced the leggy blonde beauty in several lighthearted scenes, and established her as the romantic interest for Lt. Larry Brooks, the film has the lovely lady killed simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's an unexpectedly shocking moment in an otherwise forgettable potboiler.

5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for the delightful Ms. Fulton -- I'll never look at Sweet Sue in Some Like It Hot the same way again.

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.

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.

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.