Ingston Towers is a dreary, gothic mansion located near a swamp in a remote area. The head of the manor is Kurt Ingston (Ralph Morgan). Ingston is an elderly cripple confined to a wheelchair. Ingston is also a bit of a recluse. Living in the house is his sister Margaret (Fay Helm) and several servants, Rolf (Bela Lugosi) the butler, Sarah Judd (Doris Lloyd) the housekeeper, Laurie (Leif Erickson) the chauffer, a watchman and gatekeeper called Torque (Cyril Delevanti), and Milly Carson (Janet Shaw) the maid. Also on hand is a guest named Angor Singh (Nils Asther). Singh is a mystic and proficient in the Eastern Arts.
Ingston invites three doctors to his estate, Dr. King (Lionel Atwill), Dr. Timmons (Frank Reicher) and Dr. Phipps (Francis Pierlot). These are the doctors that treated Ingston throughout the years. All their medicine and knowledge could not prevent Ingston’s condition although at least two of them believe they did their best for the man. Margaret has invited a psychiatrist, Dr. Lynne Harper (Irene Hervey) to the estate. When her car breaks down she is given a ride by Dick Baldwin (Don Porter). Dick is a local mystery writer and about the only friend that Ingston has.
Not long ago another doctor was found strangled near the grounds of the mansion. Milly, the maid, believes there is something devious going on at the estate. She quits and threatens to go to the police. A friend, Jed Harmon (Eddy Waller) reports Milly missing. Constable Cap Beggs (Robert Homans) finds Milly’s dead body in the nearby swamp. While Beggs investigates both deaths , strange things are going on at the mansion. The Creepy housekeeper won’t let Dr. Harper talk to Margaret. The lecherous chauffer keeps trying to rape all the women at the estate. And the mystic performs a ritual that materializes an Egyptian skeleton. Against the backdrop of an Old Dark House with secret passageways and foggy swamps people in the house begin dying one by one.
“Night Monster” was released in 1942 and was directed by Ford Beebe. It is an American horror film and one of Universal’s “B” pictures. Beebe was a seasoned writer and director known for his directing of many serials as well as regular films.
Although Lugosi and Atwill have top billing they are actually in supporting roles. The actual leads were Irene Hervey as Dr. Harper and Don Porter as Dick Baldwin, the writer. Since Lugosi and Atwill were superb in their roles I was OK with that. Lugosi was still effectively creepy and Atwill properly smug.
Some call it a remake of “Doctor X” 1932 but I have to disagree. There may be a couple aspects of the film that are similar to “Doctor X” but there are more than enough differences to give the film its own look and atmosphere. It’s also a creepier and a better film than “Doctor X”. Even the silence when the peepers stop croaking ads a malevolent touch to the film. You know that when they stop, something bad it going to happen.
I really liked the movie. I had been looking for it for a while and it did not disappoint. It’s an Old Dark House mystery with some decent eerie tones complete with fog. There are some standard horror aspects to it but it is very entertaining. I’m told that Alfred Hitchcock liked it too.