Night Monster (1942) Online

1942's NIGHT MONSTER was a staple of Universal's SHOCK! package of classic horrors issued to television in the late 50s, showing up 6 times on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater from 1966 to 1983. This was the only Universal to grant Bela Lugosi top billing since the 1931 Dracula, with even 1932's MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE listing him below not-so-virginal ingénue Sidney Fox (a triumph for the casting couch!). For the record, other servant/butler roles Lugosi played can be found in 1933's NIGHT OF TERROR, 1939's THE GORILLA, 1944's ONE BODY TOO MANY, 1945's THE BODY SNATCHER, 1946's GENIUS AT WORK, and 1956's THE BLACK SLEEP. His Rolf has little to do, but he was still a regular participant in the studio's horrors, and always a welcome presence. 'A scream in the night through the fog on Pollard Slough,' hiding something so hideously terrifying that even the frogs stop croaking whenever its shadow passes by (if that doesn't set the proper mood, nothing will!). The opening credits are presented in front of the same forest set built for THE WOLF MAN, featuring music identical to the credits for THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. Second billed Lionel Atwill also plays a small role, but it's the one doctor he's best suited for, getting good scene stealing mileage out of his exasperated reactions to Francis Pierlot's gland obsessed fellow physician. Kudos to beloved character actor Frank Reicher, best remembered for KING KONG, whose sensitive realistic portrayal of Dr. Timmons is vastly different from the bombastic Atwill. Tending the wealthy and powerful Kurt Ingston in his time of illness, the three have left him 'a helpless cripple, a misshapen thing that must hide even from the servants in the house.' Ralph Morgan is in top form as the wheelchair bound owner of Ingston Towers, with hilarious support from Leif Erickson as the lecherous chauffeur Laurie, even daring to flirt with Doris Lloyd's icy housekeeper, whom he refers to as 'old frozen face.' Little used actress Janet Shaw enjoys one of her few major roles, as Millie Carson, the suspicious maid who abruptly quits without notice, but makes the fatal mistake of returning for her belongings after nightfall, becoming the first on screen victim of the prowling horror, to the eerie silence of the fog shrouded darkness. Director Alfred Hitchcock was preparing SHADOW OF A DOUBT at Universal that summer, and screened this picture because he wanted to cast Janet as a burned out waitress in his film ('I'd just die for a ring like that'). Hitchcock was duly impressed by what he saw in NIGHT MONSTER, and was amazed that it was shot with great style and pace in just 11 days by producer-director Ford Beebe, who had just graduated from serial work. Despite the disappointment for some Lugosi buffs, this fan has long championed its qualities to remain genuinely frightening even today, receiving its long awaited due as a Universal horror classic, a real ensemble piece where the entire cast stands out, a genuine chiller that featured prominently on Chiller Theater, perfect viewing in the dark at 2:00 in the morning.

Interesting "B" old dark house thriller about somebody or something killing people right and left at the estate of wealthy cripple Kurt Ingston (Ralph Morgan). Who the culprit is won't be a huge shock to you but how they are doing it is pretty cool. The main selling point of this film is the terrific cast, even though some of the bigger names have small roles. Despite being top billed, Bela Lugosi plays a minor part as a butler. Lionel Atwill also has a minor role as a doctor. Leif Erickson plays a lusty chauffeur and Nils Asther a Hindu mystic. Janet Shaw has a memorable part early on as a sassy maid who can't get away from the Ingston estate fast enough. But the best parts go to Ralph Morgan and Fay Helm as the deranged brother and sister. This is a great movie to pass an hour. Universal made it and it's usually billed as a horror film. It does have some supernatural overtones but at its heart it's basically a murder mystery. A good one, though.

Night Monster is the best Universal Horror film of the 30s and 40s that was NOT about one of the Major Monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf-Man or Mummy). In fact, it may just be the best one ever. I first saw it on TV in the 1960s as a pre-teen and have seen it about 10 times since, including twice in the last year. It is a very successful film in terms of using atmosphere to communicate a sense of dread. The film effectively used the themes of Insanity, Murder, Eastern Mysticism and the properties of Nature (crickets and frogs going silent for no reason) to keep the viewer unhinged throughout the whole film. The murders are creepy and mysterious. The actors are top shelf.

I remember being scared, puzzled, mystified and wondering how the murderer got around. I remember the scene where Dr. Timmons is murdered. The actor really looked frightened. The scene where Leif Erickson's strangled body is discovered in the closet was strong stuff in the early 40s.

If you haven't seen this film...SEE IT! Just remember the time in which it was made and you will have a 73 minute feast.

Night Monster is one of those mystery-chillers that Universal made in the 1940's.

Doctors looking after wheelchair bound Kurt Ingston are murdered but no body seems close to finding out who the murderer is. Other murders also take place and several people get blamed for these murders including the butler and chauffeur. Kingston later discovers he can walk...

This movie has a very creepy atmosphere throughout and instead of the usual thunderstorm in this one, we get fog.

Now to the cast, which is lead by horror veteran Bela Lugosi (Dracula) as the butler and he is joined by several stars who have appeared in sci-fi/horror movies: Lionel Atwill (House of Dracula, The Ghost of Frankenstein), Leif Erickson (Invaders From Mars) and Frank Reicher (King Kong). Ingston is played well by Ralph Morgan, brother of The Wizard of Oz star Frank Morgan.

Night Monster is worth seeing if you get the chance. Very creepy.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

During the 1940's decade, Universal Pictures attempted to continue making horror films as they did the previous decade but did try to re-invent and package them a bit differently. Their financial success never mirrored that of its earliest successes, but films like The Night Monster showed that they still had the wherewithal to make classic, good horror yarns. This film is different from most Universal horror films for a number of reasons. Yes, Bela Lugois and Lionel Atwill are in the film. Lugosi is yet again wasted playing a butler - a role I sometimes tire of seeing him relegated to for a man of his considerable talents. Atwill does better as a pompous(can he be any other way?) doctor called with two other doctors to the home of the rich man their medicine was not able to save - he was now paralyzed from the waist down. Ralph Morgan plays the crippled man hosting the doctors, another doctor called in by his sister who believes she is crazy, a hypnotist, and a couple of other servants who act and expect better than their positions might suggest. Swirling around this is a series of murders, secretive looks and discussions, and the sighting by several of a monster that comes out at night. The Night Monster is really more of a mystery than a true horror film though the eerie, foggy atmosphere helps convey significant menace. The story isn't really particularly hard to figure out, but all the actors do a very good job playing their roles. Bela is really wasted unfortunately. He certainly could have been better utilized. Atwill as always is very, very smart and clever as he delivers his dialog. Frank Reicher, of King Kong fame, gives a nice turn as a fellow doctor caught in some terrible plot. While maybe not one of Universal's brightest stars, The Night Monster is a good, entertaining film.

This Universal horror whodunit from 1942 raises one of the top questions among fans as to how this film should have been casted. POSSIBLE SPOILERS!

Should Atwill and Lugosi have played Ingston and Agor Singh????? The answer lies in what we the fans believe. Ford Beebe did an excellent job in directing this film. Supposedly Alfred Hitchcock thought this an important film when it was being made. It has terrific atmosphere, and it is a lot of fun. The actors are all very exciting. In the last half hour someone gets killed every five minutes too. However, the problem for fans is Atwill is seen only in the first half hour of the film and Lugosi's character is so forgotten by the end that we have no idea if he escaped the house or burned within it! Also, they are top billed. In fact, it was the only time Lugosi got top billing in a Universal film other than Dracula!!!

We must consider this - Lugosi would have had less screen time if he played Agor Singh. However, that was a juicier part and was also more involved with the horror content than the snotty butler he plays. As for Atwill, playing Ingston would have been a virtual repeat of his role as the mad sculptor in Mystery of the Wax Museum. But again, he would have had basically equal screen time if playing that role. What is so disappointing is that after the first half hour he is no longer in the film! If you accept that all actors are equal in this type of film, then you can enjoy it - It is a good film, and truly an ensemble piece. If studio marketing and Lugosi and Atwill being denied bringing forth their full talents bothers you, then you may find this disappointing. I find myself in both seats when I watch this film. I want more Lugosi and more Atwill, but it just doesn't happen, but when I follow the story, it is very enjoyable.

Ultimately, though, this film will never be considered as great as it could have BECAUSE Atwill and Lugosi are given the non-horror roles. This film would have a higher status and be considered a greater classic if it had given those two the meatier parts. Just like Dracula's Daughter. That would have been considered the best Vampire movie of all, if only Lugosi got to be in it! Universal, for all it's greatness in horror, was not perfect. I wish this film had cast Atwill as Ingston and Lugosi as Agor Singh. I do not collect Ralph Morgan films nor Nils Asther films and neither does anyone I know. Nothing against them either. They were both excellent, but what I pay for is Lugosi and Atwill. And from today's point of view, they are more important horror stars and should have played the horror roles in this film. Period.

So enjoy this film for what it is. It is still a whodunit classic (even though Ralph Morgan ALWAYS is the killer) with great atmosphere. Love those frogs that stop croaking in a simultaneous halt!

A wealthy invalid (who has no arms or legs) invites the 3 doctors who attended him to his eerie, fog-shrouded mansion, where they are strangled, one by one....."and on their faces was a look of unspeakable horror"!

I'm a mystery-film buff, and i can say without a shadow of a doubt that THIS films is my All-Time Fave "spooky mystery"......the music, Lugosi, shadows on the walls, a skeleton materialising in the library, the eerie swamp, etc make it EXTREMELY atmospheric and "nightmarish"!

(In case you're wondering, my 2nd fav "Old House" film is "Dr. X").

I remember watching this film on Sat. nites in the 60's, and having a hard time going to sleep afterward. And, it's STILL creepy, after all these years!

"I can see "it" on foggy nights, keeping to the shadows...and even the frogs stopped croaking as it passed thru....."

Crippled Kurt Ingston (Ralph Morgan) has no arms or legs despite the fact that three doctors tried to save him (from what is never said). He invites all three of them to his creepy estate and says there are no hard feelings...but then the doctors start getting killed and his house is full of suspicious characters.

I caught this on late night TV when I was a kid and remember being pleasurably spooked by it. It's nice to see it still holds up all these years later. First off don't let the top billing of Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill fool you--they're hardly in the movie. Lugosi is totally wasted as a sinister butler and Atwill chews the scenery but is gone halfway through the movie. Most of it deals with Morgan and various supporting characters. The good thing is all the supporting actors are interesting and well-acted especially by Leif Erickson as a lecherous chauffeur and Nils Asther as a sinister yogi. The direction is very good and the movie has a nice dark atmosphere. There's a VERY spooky scene where one of the doctors is approached by the killer. Another nice touch is all the frogs and animals in the swamp surrounding the estate go dead quiet when the killer appears. The sudden dead silence is more than a little unnerving. The final sequence when you find out who the killer is doesn't make a lot of sense but the movie is so good that you let that go. A low-budget horror from Universal that is exceptionally well-done. I give it an 8.

Universal made a great hit with this one due to the way the story is put together. This had to be one of the best "spooky house" films. The use of atmosphere in terms of foggy nights, shadows on the wall, creepy facial expressions (this is why "The Ring" was such a hit), creaky doors, puddles of blood, a skeleton materializing in a room, Bela Lugosi looking mysterious, frogs/crickets coming to a sudden silence, sinister residents of "The Towers" and more, make this one of the best shockers of the 1940s.

Ever spook yourself in a darkened room ? (Great fun!) Ever get spooked by inanimate objects in a room based on their shadows on the wall? (I used to have nightmares as a child (about 5 years of age) due to the wood patterns on a dresser that looked like ghoulish figures. My mother told me that I used to run high fevers as a child and this may account for it.) Not being a psychologist, I am not familiar with a lot of the theory underlying why this sort of thing happens, perhaps it is based on subliminal reactions to the unknown, but it is very simple to scare oneself by associating objects,shapes or shadows with some sort of subconscious fear. In any case, this movie does the same thing to an extent by creating an atmosphere of overwhelming dread by tuning to the subconscious anxieties (such as the proverbial "things that go bump in the night" ) which exist in all of us.

I am a great Bela Lugosi fan and even though he plays a red herring butler in this film, through the use of creepy facial expressions, he adds to the nightmare quality of this film. Some fans think he would have been better off in the Angar Singh role (as he played in another great film, "Night of Terror" 1933), but he is fine as the sinister butler this time. Lionel Atwill is also fun to watch. The ladies Fay Helm and Irene Harvey are great eye candy. In the last reel of the film, people are knocked off one by one until the film reaches a ghoulish climax (I won't give the ending away).

The film is similar to "Night of Terror" (1933) (one of my B-movie favorites) which is equally creepy and equally fun. The difference is that in "Night Monster", a supernatural element is added.

10/10.

Dan Basinger

Forget the much vaunted Val Lewton "Cat People" as a classic horror film from the early 40s. "Night Monster" is a glittering gem of chilling beauty that supplies the juice and frission and performances that make "Cat People" look like "Ishtar." Veteran director Ford Beebe had only two weeks to whip his crew of Grade A technicians and Hollywood's greatest B actors into shape. Cult B-Actress, Fay Helm, is fantastic as the emotionally unstable Margaret Ingstom who claims she sees a hideous night monster creeping around her mansion at night. Irene Hervey is attractive and warm as the psychiatrist. Leif Ericson (former husband of tragic-prone actress Frances Farmer)is hilarious as the lecherous, over-sexed chaffeur. Bela Lugosi is here, too, but he mostly leers and raises his brows. There's plenty of mist, beautifully lit and photographed scenes of fire places and wavering shadows.The great character actress, Doris Lloyd, is wonderfully intense and lethal. She and Helm also starred together in "The Wolf Man." A great Hollywood mystery is whatever happened to Fay Helm? Not even film historians know. Although filmed on a low budget, "Night Monster" shows what can be done with great talent--before and after--the camera, in post-production and editing. H.J. Salter does the music which is mostly the much beloved excerpts from "Son of Frankenstein" in l939. This is a great movie to watch on a wintry night. Now, just to get it on DVD. Come on MCA/Universal Home Video--get with it. Put this one and "Captive Wild Woman" on the same disc and give us all a thrill!

Night Monster is a pleasant surprise: a Universal horror from the Forties that's actually first rate and original, provides some genuine suspense as well as surprises, manages to rise about the generic by sheer force of the talent involved. Yet most of the talented people involved in the making of the film have at best modest reputations; among them, director Ford Beebe and screenwriter Clarence Upson Young. The two main stars, Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill, don't have nearly so much to do as the lesser known players but they're a welcome sight all the same.

It's the tale of Kurt Ingston, a wealthy, crippled man, very well played by Ralph Morgan, who invites a trio of doctors who just happened to have treated him and who failed to cure him of his paralysis. Also on hand: an Indian mystic, Agor Singh; Ingston's sister, who looks young enough to be his daughter; his sister's soon to be boyfriend, Dick Baldwin; an amorous, toothpick chewing chauffeur and ladies man, Laurie; a female psychiatrist, Dr. Harper; and the standard issue (for the time) sinister housekeeper, Miss Judd. Alas, Bela Lugosi's butler, Rolfe, is a small part but he makes the best of his few scenes.

But one doesn't really need a scorecard to follow this one. It's worth mentioning all these characters, as each in his own way adds spice to the proceedings. This movie has a strong plot, as Ingston is a truly baleful figure,--an armless and legless man--and one senses a power him him, a focused and yet controlled energy that, in conjunction with Singh's black magic, his ability to summon forth a skeleton and make blood appear, coming seemingly from nowhere, make for a dynamic and potentially dangerous duo. Ingston's out for revenge.

The isolated country setting, apparently American the gated mansion not far from a swamp, where the sounds of animals, notably frogs, can be heard, set this modestly budgeted movie up nicely. Nor does it shy from killing a character off here and there; and sometimes it's a young and attractive one. There's a feeling of primal, encroaching evil at work in Night Monster that goes beyond the plot, the special effects,--good but hardly remarkable-- that seems to take hold of the entire movie, and which, as it approaches its climax, makes the film deliver the goods and then some by the time it's over.

This movie really surprised me. In the 1940s, Bela Lugosi made a huge number of grade-Z horror films. They might be fun to watch, but all too often the films have tons of plot holes and they were obviously made with practically no budget. This film, however, has very good production values and is quite original--and as a result, I had a very good time watching it.

Now before I go any further, it's important to note that although Lugosi got top billing and the videotape cover prominently shows his face, the film really ISN'T a Bela Lugosi film. His role, unfortunately for "Lugosi-philes" is amazingly small and ill-defined. He never seems to be the star nor does he have much to do with all the weird murders that are occurring in the film. In many ways, this is like the appearance of Lionel Atwill in the film--he's there but his part is terribly small.

Despite this, the film is still excellent and most of this is due to the excellent writing. The story is quite original and although I could guess early on who was committing all the murders, the way it was handled was very clever. Probably the best part of the film, though, was the part played by Robert Homans, as the Constable. He has so many wonderful and funny lines that I thoroughly loved watching the old curmudgeon investigate the crimes.

Finally, a bit of trivia. The rich old man in the film is played by Ralph Morgan. He bears a lot of physical resemblance to Frank Morgan (the Wizard from the Wizard of Oz) because they were brothers.

This film (& "Dr. X") are my fav 2 films of ALL time! It's a marvellously spooky film! Three doctors are invited to the home of their patient, Kurt Ingston, and are mysteriously killed, one-by-one. Everyone suspects Mr. Ingston, but he is an amputee.

An excellent cast, creepy atmosphere, great plot & special effects make this a MUST SEE! Also has a fog-covered mansion & numerous secret panels. A grotesque figure lurches thru the fog, on it's way to kill, and the frogs stop croaking as it passes thru......

The bloopers: Dick's pipe on the drive to the manor, someone coughing in the "empty" library when the hero & heroine are supposed to be ALONE, and Nils Asther stumbling on something as he delivers his final speech at the end of the film.

MUST, MUST SEE!

Night Monster was originally released as the B movie support to The Mummy's Tomb, which is something of an injustice: it's easily the best of the two movies.

The story concerns a series of murders at Ingston Towers, home of the mutilated Kurt Ingston (Ralph Morgan). Sinister blood stains keep appearing on the stairs and other locations without any apparent cause; and the household itself contains Ingston's nervous wreck of a sister (Fay Helm), a sinister - aren't they always? - Swarmi (Nils Asther), a skulking Butler (a top-billed Bela Lugosi), a lecherous Chauffeur (Leif Erickson), a domineering companion (Doris Lloyd) and three medical men summoned by Ingston to tend his wounded body, among them Lionel Atwill.

The spooky location of Pollard Slew is used to good effect in several eerie outdoor sequences in which an unseen killer stalks his prey; and director Ford Beebe keeps things moving briskly, and even brings off a sequence involving the transmigration of matter as a demonstration of the Swarmi's powers. But as the killings mount up a psychiatrist (Irene Hervey) and an author friend of Ingston's (Don Porter) begin to unravel the mystery.

Night Monster is straight out of the old dark house school of horrors; but yep, there is a supernatural explanation for all the goings on. And when it comes you will gasp at the sheer cheek of it! Let's just say it's a slight borrowing from Dr. X. Lugosi, unfortunately has very little to do and Atwill is one of the first to be murdered (off screen). Yet the film is entertaining and manages a few decent chills and surprises. It's not as famous as some of the other Universal Horror pictures but Night Monster is well worth hunting out.

Having become acquainted with most of the classic Universal horror films at a very early age, it's rather surprising that it has taken me much longer to get to the lesser entries in the cycle. Thankfully, the Universal Monster Legacy and the Bela Lugosi Collections have introduced me to some elusive titles but, still, there are a few which, perhaps because of their obvious inferiority, are still sadly missing and the film under review here is just one of them…

First things first: while Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill never quite enjoyed the (well-deserved) renown Boris Karloff got from his horror performances - and let's not forget that both of them were somewhat on the skids at the time this film was made due to private scandals - I wasn't expecting to see them appearing in such thankless roles, especially since their names were shown above the title in the credits! I guess anyone who engages Lugosi as a butler deserves all he gets (it's also amusing to me that despite living in America for almost 30 years, Lugosi never managed to drop his very thick Hungarian accent which, I suppose, is one of his charms) and Atwill is an impatient surgeon who's mercilessly picked on by one of his colleagues (for no reason I could clearly discern) and whose untimely departure from the "old dark house" of the movie brings about his death…with more than half the film yet to unfold! Lugosi, apparently, also gets his in the film's fiery climax…or does he? For being the nominal star of the film, the carelessness with which his fate is (or rather not) dealt with is disappointing to say the least.

For the rest, the film introduces too many characters too quickly so that it wasn't until some time into the picture that I was able to make heads or tails of who was engaged to do what in the creepy mansion. Some of these characters were engaging, especially Nils Ashter's spiritualist, Leif Erickson's boorish chauffeur, Robert Homans' investigating constable and Don Porter's whodunnit writer but some of the others (like Fay Helm's disturbed Margaret, Doris Lloyd's scheming housekeeper and, fatally, Ralph Morgan's crippled master of the house) were boring or downright annoying. Then, the sheer regularity of the murders (which happen literally moments apart at times) gives it a repetitive quality which does the film no favors, especially since none of the houseguests ever seem to be aware of anything remotely wrong happening in the very next room!

Still, for all that, the film is never less than entertaining and I can see it improving with further viewings; after all, it is crammed full of that typical Universal fog-laden ambiance which, for obvious reasons – not least the usage of the same title background and parts of the music score – reminds one of THE WOLF MAN (1941) and other Universal horror fare of the period. Besides, even if the film is not able to capitalize fully on it, its premise of mentally growing artificial limbs is an intriguing one and, again, not too dissimilar from the one explored in DOCTOR X (1932).

There is a monstrous killer roaming the grounds of the estate of wealthy Kurt Ingston, but the most logical suspect has the perfect alibi. He is a bed ridden triple amputee who couldn't possible move about to commit the murders, or could he? The only clue is a look of horror transfixed on the faces of the victims. The residents and staff of the mansion seem to know a lot more than they are willing to tell.Only Ingstons sister Margaret is willing to tell what she knows about the mystery but Ingstons loyal housekeeper keeps her locked away claiming that she is insane. A mysterious Indian swami is a guest of Ingstons and is there to teach Ingston some mind control techniques to help him better deal with his physical disability. How much does he really know about the murders? Meanwhile the body count is rolling up.Its up to mystery writer Dick Baldwin and psychiatrist Dr Lynn Harper to discover the identity of the mysterious murderer before they become his next victims.

Night Monster was released in October of 1942 and was a success for Universal Studios. Director Ford Beebe had been around since before WWI and knew how to make a solid "B" picture.He masterfully guides a solid cast to create a very engrossing story. Night Monster is suspenseful and atmospheric if not a bit disappointing in the end. It's oblivious who the killer really is. It's just a question of how he is able to carry out his deeds. The show piece of the picture, when the yogi Agor Singh demonstrates his matter projection techniques demonstrates how the murderer is able to function The failure of the screenplay to properly utilize the talents of it's two top billed stars has been discussed by other reviewers. I will just say that the miscasting of both Atwill and Lugosi keeps Night Monster from being the classic horror mystery it could have been instead of the entertaining but predictable film that it is.

Universal horror with Bela Lugosi playing a butler. He was always random to me, but I think I'm starting to like him. Mysterious murders are happening in a castle, the people get strangled, but there's a pool of blood near them. The big castlehouse is in a swamp. Best mist effect ever, pretty creepy. In the house live: paralyzed rich owner, his daughter who is treated by everyone like she's nuts but she might not be, always suspicious servants, while their guests are the tree doctors who saved and paralyzed the owner, the female psychiatrist invited by the daughter, horror story writer and later on a very charismatic and dryly humorous detective. But the most important guest is a mysterious Indian mystic played by the very handsome and charismatic actor Nils Asther, who can control matter on a cosmic particle level and materialize stuff like that. Supernatural whodunit. One maybe knows toward the end who did it, but not how. Alfred Hitchcock liked this movie a lot supposedly. The actors are all good, the atmosphere is good, never boring, shadow play is sometimes very good, always good and effective. the house interior is cool as it is. Of the actors I especially liked Ralph Morgan as the owner, Don Porter as the writer Dick Baldwin (it's funny because all Baldwins are dicks) i Nils Asther as Agor Singh. The latter is cool as he is, handsome, Porter is not really likable at first hand, but he's charming. Great film to watch at 2 am slightly drunk.

Thinking this was a horror movie (billed as such) and starring guys like Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill, I wound up disappointed.....even more so because this movie started off pretty well and had promise. However, that "promise" was never delivered. There wasn't enough suspense or action to keep my interesting after the first hour. It got way too talky for what it should have been.

Fans of the two guys mentioned above will be very disappointed. Lugosi plays the butler and does very little and Atwill literally disappears halfway through. Yet, both men got pretty good billing on the opening credits. It's misleading.

The story isn't bad but, outside of some good sound effects like the frogs and the crickets, is not the creepy movie it's advertised as being. Maybe in 1942 this creeped out audiences, but it wouldn't today. Then again, I only saw this movie when it was on TV and commercials were continually interrupting things. That's a big reason I don't even watch TV shows any more unless they are on DVD. Perhaps if this film ever comes out on disc, I'd give it another shot.

The foggy Pallard slough is nearby a gigantic mansion known as the towers and lurking about is a killer who seems to target doctors responsible for the unfortunate crippling of a millionaire, a paralyzed and mangled shell. Through a Hindu "yogist", Mr. Ingston has learned of a possible method to restore his tissues and give him the ability to use his arms and legs once again. Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill both get star treatment, although neither popular Universal studios actor has so strong a role to earn such honors. Lugosi is stuck with the butler-who-may-know-more-than-he-is-letting-on role while Atwill is a haughty scientist who thinks highly of himself and his talents as a doctor. Atwill is one of the three doctors whose operation was unsuccessful on Kurt Ingston(Ralph Morgan). We see how the staff who works for Kurt attempt to hide the truth about a recent murder of a doctor, found strangled in the slough, his face frozen in horror. A maid who has had enough of working for such a wacky family decides to quit, but she knows too much and winds up another victim of a "night monster", body found like the previous doc, in the slough. When the other doctors are picked off one by one, a few try to solve the mystery before they wind up victims next, such as a detective novelist, Dick Baldwin(Don Porter)and a psychiatrist, Dr. Lynn Harper, called on by Kurt's sister, Margaret(Fay Helm). Margaret is considered off-her-rocker, often ordered around by the persistent Main Maid, Ms. Judd(Doris Lloyd), who tries to keep her away from Harper as not to convey possible information perhaps viable to identifying the culprit behind the serial strangulations. Leif Erickson steals his scenes as a chauffeur who can not keep his hands to himself as it pertains to the "dames." Erickson's Laurie is a snooper and keeps his ears open as to what's going on, warning, at one point, the maid who quit to keep her mouth shut or else. Laurie is a suspicious character because he has a hard time taking no for an answer when "dames" are vocal, loud and clear, in regards to his off-putting remarks and gestures, wanting a little something-something and coming up empty time and again because he's such a lout. Erikson is also a rather imposing man with a viper smile, so when he compasses Harper at one point, you kind of figure that unless someone interrupts, he'd have his way with her regardless whether or not she consented. Lugosi's butler doesn't play as viable part in the grand scheme of things as you'd think..even though his star wattage was dimming even by '42, to have such a limited role in the meat of the plot is a disappointment, at least for me, a definite fan of his. Nils Asther is Agor Singh, the Hindu who teaches Kurt the art of "materialization", this arcane ability used at one point to reveal a skeleton holding a jewel box containing a cursed blood diamond. When Singh's concentration is broken, the skeleton dematerializes, a blood puddle remaining. This detail is of great importance because at each crime scene a small puddle of blood is left behind. The Universal studios sets are well utilized and director Beebe maintains enough atmosphere to make NIGHT MONSTER a decent enough little chiller which works best as a developing mystery.

Tho Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill are the big name draws here, they are in fact only supporting actors within the story. But don't let that detract from this being the entertaining murder mystery spooky house picture it is. Basically we are at a house in the South in the swamp region. It is the home of Kurt Ingston, a recluse who is wheelchair bound. Here on this evening are a number of doctors invited by Ingston, who start to be killed off one by one. So who is responsible? The butler {Lugosi}, the weird housekeeper, the chauffeur, the mentally ill daughter? Or could it have something to do with the mystical Agor Singh who has been teaching Ingston the fabled art of mind over matter? Either way the mystery holds tight throughout and nothing is ever quite as it seems.

For sure it's a Universal Pictures B movie, but it's the kind of effective creeper that gets in and does its job with the minimum of fuss. High on atmosphere and containing a ream of interesting characters, it's acted professionally and finishes on a high. It may not be "And Then There Were None", and those who wish to solve the mystery before the reveal will not find it hard to do so. But this is a decent entry in a lovely sub-genre of horror, so turn off the lights and listen out for those frogs. 6.5/10

This creep-fest from Universal allegedly stars Bela Lugosi & Lionel Atwill, but Atwill gets bumped off early on and Bela as the butler has little to do but lurk around suspiciously.

The plot, such as it is, involves a series of mysterious stranglings in and about the requisite spooky old house owned by a crippled bitter old man.

There's an Indian mystic, a wise-ass writer (Don Porter), a creepy housekeeper, obnoxious chauffeur, an idiot sheriff, and various other characters milling about.

Although I never saw or read about this movie before seeing it Saturday night on Svengoolie's TV show, I figured out the plot by the end of the first reel and you will too, if you chance to see it.

But it was fun to watch and a not unpleasant way to pass an idle hour or so..

Doctors are called to old mansion filled with oddball characters who start getting killed off in mysterious fashion.

One thing for sure—the lighting bill must have been paid in pocket change. It's so dark in that mansion you may need a flashlight. But then what else can you expect from a Universal horror picture, where the brightest thing is usually a full moon. My only question is what Lugosi is doing as a butler, of all things. He's so polite and unthreatening, you may have to look twice. Plus, he even has to act scared in one scene-- it's almost like Dracula suddenly caught working at Walmart.

But my favorite is Laurie the randy chauffeur who behaves like he's auditioning for a porn movie, that is, when he's not mugging it up or leering at 60-year old women. It's almost like he's wandered onto the wrong set. Then too, I like Robert Homans whose cop looks old enough for Social Security, but's still got the spunk of a teenager. On the other hand, too bad that Irene Hervey seems terminally bored by all the murderous goings-on. In fact, not even the handsome Don Porter can arouse her interest.

Anyhow, the movie manages a grand staircase and a few surprises amid all the hocus-pocus, but is otherwise standard Universal horror fare-- always good for a few of laughs, a few chills, and a lot of harmless fun.

"Night Monster" wasn't destined to be recognised for the effective horror piece that it is, when released in 1942. It was issued as the lower half of a double feature and didn't make much of an impact at the box office. One thing that hampered the film, was the lack of an established leading man in the genre. Bela Lugosi received top billing but became reduced to "supporting actor" status, cast in the thankless role of the butler of the household involved in the story. Lionel Atwill - an underrated leading man in his own right - also ended up being wasted in a role with limited screen time. Regardless, there is plenty to enjoy with "Night Monster." Unlike other horror films from "Universal," there is a genuine sense of mystery and intrigue. The villain isn't revealed until the end and there are a few red herrings included into the bargain. The explanation that's provided with regards to the killer's movements, isn't down to the usual bogus reasons - like an escaped lunatic from the local asylum who indulges in disguises. The writers of the screenplay provide a more weird and eerie conclusion and this works to the films advantage. We are witness to the usual recycling of sets that were used for other films by the studio at the time: the Basil Rathbone "Sherlock Holmes" films amongst others. In my opinion, none of that matters. I simply enjoyed the film before me and the running time whizzes by. "Night Monster" deserves to be better known than it is but the timing was perhaps rather unfortunate. The 1940s saw a steady decline in Hollywood for horror films, as the demand wasn't as great as it had been during the first half of the 1930s.

Enjoyable, tense and well acted but forgotten little horror movie. Bela Lugosi has a secondary role, but he is excellent as Rolf, the evil butler. Add a wicked housekeeper, a loony sister, a frightening disabled host, a yoga teacher, a trio of scientists with a stooge touch, a chauffeur constantly in heat, a writer of cheap thrillers, a typically silly chief of police, and a good looking psychiatrist, and you have an excellent whodunit, even if you know from the beginning who the monster is, that combines elements of Poe's "House of Usher", Du Maurier's "Rebecca", Conan-Doyle's "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and the short novel "The Undying Monster: A Tale of the Fifth Dimension", by Jessie Douglas Kerruish, produced by Fox also in 1942. . It is a mystery that this amusing script by Clarence Upson Young has not been remade.

NIGHT MONSTER (Universal, 1942), produced and directed by Ford Beebe, starring Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill, is more murder mystery than horror film regardless of what the title depicts and its leading players. Lugosi and Atwill, resident horror stars for the studio, interestingly don't play mad scientists reviving the dead nor creating monsters, or pit against each other, but are actually its individual supporting players to the leading supporting actors. Taken from an original screenplay by Clarence Upson-Young, the plot itself may have been an original idea according to the opening credits, but actually a recycled story with creative new ideas that makes this one of the better mysteries to come out for this second feature "B" unit.

The story takes place at an estate known as Ingston Towers located in a secluded location surrounded by marshlands. The house of mystery contains residents as Rolf (Bela Lugosi), the butler; Laurie (Leif Erickson), the chauffeur; Margaret Ingston (Fay Helm) a young heiress led to believed to be insane by its domineering housekeeper, Miss Sarah Judd (Doris Lloyd), who cleans off blood stains off the carpet; Torgue (Cyril Delevanti), the gate keeper; Millie Carson (Janet Shaw), a maid who quits due to strange occurrences; Curt Ingston (Ralph Morgan), the owner and old man whose paralyzed condition from an operation by several doctors has led him to become a helpless recluse. Ingston hires Agor Singh (Nils Asther), a turpin-wearing man with mystic powers, to help him out spiritually. Because of mysterious circumstances that have been occurring, Millie informs Constable Cap Beggs (Robert Homans) in town, but he's unable to assist her accusations without any proof of evidence. After Millie returns to the estate to pick up for her personal belongings, she leaves the home to is later found dead in the marshes. Arriving at the estate are Lynne Harper (Irene Hervey), a psychiatrist sent for by Margaret to prove to others that she is not insane; Dick Baldwin (Don Porter), a mystery writer; and doctors King (LIonel Atwill), Timmons (Frank Reicher) and Phipps (Francis Pierlot), the men responsible for Ingston's bed-ridden condition, also enter the scene. Eventually a series of one-by-one murders take place, having Beggs to come and do some investigation. Also in the cast is Eddy Waller playing Jeb Harmon.

Regardless of Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill receiving star billing, the film basically belongs to others in the cast, especially Ralph Morgan. Lugosi plays the butler with little to do. Considering its present casting, Lugosi and Nils Asther (as the medium), it might have been more effective had Lugosi and Asther switched roles, as with the switch casting of both Lionel Atwill and Ralph Morgan as well. Atwill, surprisingly has even less to do here, and is sadly wasted. While Fay Helm and Doris Lloyd, heiress and housekeeper who hate each other, get meatier roles, there's Janet Shaw (best known for her small role as the waitress in Alfred Hitchcock's SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1942), with her distinctive throaty voice and personality, who gathers enough attention. Don Porter and Irene Hervey typically support as the couple who meet and become romantically involved. Another familiar pattern is the background underscoring used in many Universal thrillers of the day. For a Bela Lugosi movie, NIGHT MONSTER is definitely better structured than those cheaply made productions he did at the same time over at Monogram Studio (1941-1944)s. At least budget and production values by Universal standards are much higher than Monogram's.

Commonly shown on television in the 1960s and 70s as part of the horror movie package that often aired Saturday nights, NIGHT MONSTER has become forgotten over the years due to lack of revivals. Eventually NIGHT MONSTER did get resurrected again on video cassette in the mid 1990s and DVD a decade later. Revivals on cable television notably on ME-TV playing part of Saturday evening's "Svengoolie," and Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: October 24, 2018), assuring modern-day interest and rediscovery to a new generation of viewers interested in mystery-horror tales such as this. (**1/2).