Night of Terror

Plot synopsis:
Police have been vainly searching the countryside for the knife-wielding Maniac, who has been on a murderous spree. The Maniac's victims are each found with a taunting newspaper clipping attached to their body. After the wealthy uncle of a young scientist is mysteriously murdered, people wonder if the Maniac is responsible.
Prior to his uncle's death, the young scientist in question, Dr. Arthur Hornsby, claimed to have developed a method of living without oxygen for extended periods. To prove his theory, he had himself buried after taking a dose of the serum. Despite his incapacity, the death of his uncle leaves a vast fortune, which is to be divided amongst his family members and servants. In the event that one or more them dies, the inheritance is split among the remaining survivors. Subsequently, members of the family begin to die, one-by-one, and suspicion is cast on the servants, including the "mystic" butler (Bela Lugosi).
At the end, we discover that Dr. Hornsby faked his burial and was using it as a cover for committing the murders. His plan was to kill any other heirs to his uncle's fortune so that he may obtain sole possession. His plan is eventually discovered and exposed by the butler. The Maniac is shot, and apparently killed, by the newspaper reporter, Tom Hartley; but in the closing moments of the film, he comes back to life and claims that he will haunt the audience if they reveal the plot twist to anyone.

Tags: romantic, murder

Review:
All that cliche-ic stuff (secret panels, the "maniac", seances, etc) is what makes this film a GREAT "Old House" film!
Granted, Lugosi is wasted in this role, but the entire film builds up a creepy, sinister "atmosphere".Both Maltin and the other reviewer dismiss the end of the film, where the maniac speaks to the audience but, I first saw this when I was about 6 years old, and it scared the bejesus out of me for several nights!
The house also contains a laboratory where a young scientist is attempting to experiment with a chemical formula that he hopes will raise the dead and is using himself as a guinea pig."Night of Terror" is yet another murder mystery masquerading as a horror story.
Bela Lugosi was added to the cast to give the film a horror element but all he does is provide a few menacing glares.
Old Dark House thrillers were very popular with movie audiences in the 1930's and Night of Terror is a prime example of one.
Wallace Ford is around to add the obligatory comedy relief that film makers felt was necessary to relief the tension in these kinds of productions at the time.The film also has a black comedy ending.Night of Terror was included in the Son of Shock Theater Movie package sold to local TV stations across the country in 1958 by Screen Gems following the success of Shock Theater in 1957.
While the police believe an escaped maniac is the killer, Ford probes to learn who will benefit from Rinehart's murder.One problem I have with the film is the escaped maniac who is about and who is killing people in the area.
It's a murder mystery set in a creepy house with a decent share of horrific elements: a Mr. Hyde-like goon with a knife in top hat and cape called The Maniac stalks the grounds; a scientist experiments with suspended animation and getting himself buried alive; the otherworldly Bela Lugosi headlines as a peculiar household servant in a turban who's married to his eerily mystical wife.
A dark house chiller from Columbia with all of the usual ingredients - serial nutso killer running loose (called "The Maniac" by newspaper headlines), an isolated house in the countryside, with a (constantly) screaming heroine, mysterious servants, one liking to peer into crystal balls and go into trances and make proclamations of death coming soon, a wiseguy newspaper reporter who bursts out gleefully "Boy, what a story" every time another dead body turns up and a hard nose detective who doesn't have a clue.Oh, yes, "comedy relief" is supplied by a black chauffeur who gets scared really easily.
I would become the first man to fly without wings." (Truth is, that might be the best line of dialogue in the film).These kind of films are easy to poke fun at and also, on occasion, fun, if you happen to like this kind of film genre (which I do).This particular film benefits, though, from a pretty good cast, with Bela Lugosi top billed over the title.
One of the participants holding hands at the table won't make it through the seance without a knife in the back.It's pretty Sally Blane (Loretta Young's sister) as the screamer and Wallace Ford as the reporter with the snappy one liners and an overly pleased manner whenever a new corpse turns up.
I remembered Tully getting knocked off in the silent version of the similar Cat and the Canary and kept counting the minutes before his character would do the same in this one."The Maniac" (who carries an oversized knife) keeps popping up throughout this film, peering through bushes with a scarred face and demented smile full of sharp teeth, climbing through windows and, generally, keeping everyone on their toes, until he lays a few of them out at their feet, that is.Night of Terror does have a bit of originality with one of the occupants of the house, a scientist (George Meeker) who plans on having himself buried alive in a coffin on their property in an experiment to see if, with an antidote administered eight hours later, he will still be alive.
"Night of Terror" is a bit higher budgeted and a bit less dumb than his usual Bs. Now don't get upset--when I call them dumb, I still like them...but the often have a lot of very silly plot lines and this one is no exception.
NIGHT OF TERROR (Columbia, 1933), directed by Benjamin Stoloff, being one of many contributions to the horror film mysteries attributed to Universal's cycle that all began with Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi, stars that legendary Hungarian actor in an interesting horror/ murder mystery commonly produced at that time.
Though not the best nor worst of this type, NIGHT OF TERROR has become one of the most neglected and least known of the forgotten thrillers due to lack of availability, even with the Lugosi name above the title.As the credits roll through the caption of a crystal ball with performers credited solely by their character names rather than the traditional actors and their roles billing, the story opens during the midnight hours with full moon in background view as a crazed bearded lunatic in dark suit and hat known as The Maniac (Edwin Maxwell) commits his latest killing on a young couple inside a car, leaving a note behind, the twelfth murder to occur which has both police and reporters baffled.
There's also Degar (Bela Lugosi), a Hindu and 15 year servant for the Rineharts; Sika (Mary Frey), a housekeeper/psychic who performs séances; Martin (Oscar Smith), a Negro chauffeur who claims he would be "the first man to fly without wings" when approached by The Maniac.
Upon Richard's murder, and the last will and testament having him leaving his entire fortune to his servants rather than his immediate family, it soon becomes "death among the heirs" while, at the same time, Hornsby going on with his experiment from beyond the grave, much to the dismay of a harassed Detective Bailey (Matt McHugh) called upon to investigate with his partner, Detective Dooley (Richard Powell).During its slow-pacing and bit confusing 64 minutes, NIGHT OF TERROR is actually two separate stories rolled into one.
Although Bela Lugosi could have played either one of those character roles more favorably, his Hindu servant with turban and earring on right ear addressing his employer, "Yes, Master," gathers enough attention in spite of being basically secondary.
Sally Blane, Loretta Young's look-a-like sister, does her part with her occasional screams, with one harrowing scene where she's abducted by an approaching hand from behind the wall.Regardless of being produced by Columbia, NIGHT OF TERROR looks more like something from "poverty row" Monogram Studios from the 1940s, right down from the stalking phantom-ish Mr. Hyde in the resembling manner of Fredric March's evil half from DR.
Watch for it.With the Maniac as part of the story process, and no real background to whom he is and why, NIGHT OF TERROR rightfully deserves its contribution in the horror film cycle.
This Columbia "B" thriller features many of the typical 'old dark house' trappings (which proliferated throughout the late 20s up till the mid-30s) and is therefore quite predictable; still, the denouement is rather effective  and it's all capped by an amusing (if hammy) interpolation by the maniac killer of the main narrative, which sees him coming back to life to warn cinema patrons not to reveal the twist ending!
A mere two years after his runaway success with Dracula (1931), the film already sees Bela Lugosi reduced to playing thankless roles because, even though he receives sole above-the-title billing here, the horror icon's presence constitutes a red herring and nothing more (the way he's made to intimidate his spiritualist wife during a séance proves especially pointless) and is further hindered by the unflattering Hindu attire (turban, gypsy earrings) he is saddled with throughout.
To get back to the 'monster' of the film, again, his involvement results to be irrelevant to the central mystery (with an inheritance at stake, members of a wealthy family are getting bumped off one by one): familiar heavy-set character actor Edwin Maxwell is credited with playing the role, but he was unrecognizable behind the make-up.
Lovely Sally Blane (who happens to be Loretta Young's sister!) and Wallace Ford (insufferable as the fast-talking reporter hero, a role he virtually reprised in a later Lugosi cheapie  THE APE MAN [1943]) provide the obligatory romantic interest; another requisite  and equally resistible  is the politically incorrect comedy relief supplied by the household's 'scaredy cat' black chauffeur.
Given a somewhat harsh BOMB rating by Leonard Maltin, I knew not to expect much from the film  but, ultimately, it's a harmless way to kill 60 minutes or soand, in any case, the script does come up with a handful of undeniably hilarious lines: when a delegation of scientists arrives at the mansion to assist to a dangerous experiment, the chauffeur remarks that they look like undertakers  later, when he sees these same men transport a coffin in which his current master is about to be buried alive, he observes that he had been right all along!; driven as much by jealousy as the promise of a scoop, Ford bursts into the household to see Blane  noticing four other hats in the parlor (belonging to the illustrious guests), he asks her whether she had been entertaining the Marx Bros.; when the bodies start piling up and the police is called on the scene, Ford offers his help but is told off by the investigating officer  however, on asking for the generalities of all the persons in the room, the response of one of the scientists comes in the form of an unpronounceable foreign name and, so, the befuddled cop gladly relinquishes the writing duties to the newspaperman!; still, my favorite bit is when a hand-cuffed Lugosi asks the detective guarding him if he can smoke, and the latter  with quite unwarranted hostility  snaps back "I don't care if you burn!".
1933's "Night of Terror" is distinguished by the top billed presence of Bela Lugosi, plus its status as the very first bona-fide horror film from Columbia Pictures, part of the SON OF SHOCK television package that enjoyed widespread success in the late 50s.
Perhaps this is the reason why so many disparate elements get shoehorned into the film; an old dark house setting, a prowling maniac who has already claimed an impressive 12 victims, a scientist who creates a serum that will suspend life, intending to have himself be buried alive to prove its effectiveness.
The leading lady is Sally Blane, lovely older sister of Loretta Young, quite the best thing to see, as Lugosi is given precious little to do as skulking Hindu servant Degar, who at least is involved in the climax, as in the 1939 "The Gorilla." Bela would soon work with Loretta Young herself in "The Devil's in Love," and with elder sister Polly Ann Young in 1941's "Invisible Ghost" (he would be plagued by Wallace Ford at Monogram, in 1935's "The Mysterious Mr. Wong" and 1943's "The Ape Man").
The role of the Maniac is credited to Edwin Maxwell, who destroyed Lionel Atwill's masterworks in the earlier "Mystery of the Wax Museum," and it is clearly his voice we hear in the final scene, regardless of whether he was doubled or not (Dave O'Brien plays the first on screen victim).
In NIGHT OF TERROR, we learn that "The Maniac" killer (Edwin Maxwell) has struck again, and is on the loose!
This, while resident scientist, Professor Hornsby (George Meeker) prepares to be buried alive, to prove the efficacy of his new life-restorative formula, and resident mystic, Degar (Bela Lugosi) creeps about the place.
A great "old dark house"-type film, this one has a lot of moving parts.
The murders continue by the gutsy killer as he is committing them right under the cops' noses.One negative point of the film is that an uncredited Oscar Smith plays the role of Martin the chauffeur.
If you can allow for this you may enjoy this old time B&W horror film.One final note the ending is quite interesting as the killer reveals that he will come back from the dead to haunt you if you tell other people the plot twist.
Bela Lugosi once again dons a turban (easily his favorite movie headgear) for a cliched turn as Degar, sinister Hindu servant of a well-to-do but overly disfuntional family, in "Night Of Terror", a seldom seen, quasi-horror thriller from Columbia studios.
Although top-billed, Lugosi is mired in an undistinctive supporting role, which calls for him to skulk around, look mysteriously sinister and discover a freshly murdered corpse every 10 minutes or so.
Still, he provides the ONLY reason to watch this movie.A maniac killer on the loose is blamed for a series of  murders, but it's pretty obvious that one of the family members is the true fiend, plotting to control a family inheritance.
Night of Terror (1933) ** (out of 4) Somewhat entertaining but overall boring horror/mystery about a deformed madman killing off members of an estate with a large knife.
If I were going to list the ten best films Bela Lugosi appeared in, this would be one of them.
This film has everything, including sliding panels, secret tunnels, mysterious visitors, sudden and horrifying killings, a seance where a murder occurs, bizarre characters, bizarre behavior such as the clipping of newspapers on the bodies of victims, and a rampaging misanthrope called The Maniac with a distorted, hair-raising face that would frighten the proverbial "boogieman".
(THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE DVD Invisible Menace/Night of Terror)This DVD presents Karloff and Lugosi, each in a film that is not part of their usual fare seen in other collections.THE INVISIBLE MENACE is a Warner Brother's quickie (clocking in at under 60 minutes) that shows that Boris Karloff could do far more than play monsters.
Overall it is an enjoyable little film.The second feature, with the generic title NIGHT OF TERROR, comes as a welcome surprise.
I had only seen it listed on Bela Lugosi film bibliographies.
Top billed Bela Lugosi has a minor role in this tale of a maniac on the loose.
It seems a maniac is going around killing people (I think the count given at the start is 11 people)while at the same time a group of people gather at the family estate to hear the reading of a will and a séance...and people begin dropping like flies.
An isolated old mansion is the scene of a strange experiment, with a scientist preparing to test a secret formula by having himself buried alive.
At the same time, a madman with snaggle teeth and wild eyes is on the prowl, stabbing a lengthy list of victims, and leaving a newspaper clipping about himself pinned to the corpse's clothing each time.Throw in Wallace Ford as a fast talking reporter who's investigating the murders, and romancing the pretty niece of one of the victims, a mysterious servant played by Bela Lugosi, Tully Marshall as a rich man who gets killed off, leading to a classic reading of the will sequence, and a black chauffeur who asks to be disinherited when he hears that he is to be paid a pension " for as long as (he) live(s)".
Add some dislikable relatives plotting to cut the servants out of the will, a grumpy police detective getting fed up with unsolved murders and the reporter's jibes, various hapless victims of " The Maniac", vintage cars, clothing and telephones, along with the basic collection of sliding panels, secret tunnels, clutching hands, etc.Result: one very entertaining old movie, with more action crammed into an hour than ten other movies put together.
Anyone who enjoys old dark house mysteries and Thirties horror movies should get a kick out of this..
I've read all sorts of comments about this film saying Lugosi doesn't do much in it and has a thankless role as a servant.
Lugosi is in fact a servant, and also a red herring of sorts, but unlike a lot of these roles he actually IS integral to the plot here and in fact pretty much solves the case!
Bear in mind Maltin gives nearly all of Lugosi's actually awful Monogram movies ** or so and none of those are even remotely as entertaining as Night of Terror.I really, really like this movie a lot.
In that respect it almost reminds me of something like Scary Movie, with the real killer here copying a serial killer that already exists.By all means check this film out on that Invisible Menace/Night of Terror double feature DVD.
On the heels of "The Old Dark House" comes one of its dozens of imitators, a decent B feature starring Bela Lugosi on loan to Columbia from Universal.
More members of the family follow, leaving reporter heroine Sally Gray in jeopardy with boyfriend Wallace Ford and two darkly clad servants (Lugosi and Mary Frey) to look after her.
I had originally intended to add Night of Terror (1933) to my listing of films to avoid, as I incorrectly assumed that sloppy writing was to blame when it was revealed at the conclusion that character X played the maniac.
Producer Bryan Foy's budget was really expansive, the cast line-up led by Bela Lugosi, Sally Blane and Wallace Ford, top of the range.
NIGHT OF TERROR is an early entry in the creaky 'old dark house' genre which was all the rage in the 1930s.
You get mad scientists, a maniac killer prowling the countryside and knifing his victims, a mystic, comedy relief from a frightened black servant, a shifty servant, secret passages, plotting, hidden motives, and gloomy old locales.
And some ostensible comedy is provided by having the one black character be inept, cowardly, and superstitious.Much of the acting in this film is actually quite good, in spite of the poor script.