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That's the offended response from Dr, Ziska (Lon Chaney) after being called "mad". But then again, that's what you get when you perform mad experiments on unsuspecting people. He is "the monster" in the title. The film, however, focuses primarily on Johnny Goodlittle (Johnny Arthur), a meek but determined amateur detective, who sets out to investigate the numerous kidnappings happening in the countryside.
Johnny's investigation takes him right into the abandoned sanitorium where Ziska performs his experiments. Considered as one of the first films within the "old dark house" sub-genre, the film does make good use of the setting with our hero trapped in the house, along with his love interest Betty (Gertrude Olmstead) and his rival (Amos Rugg). There are some pretty cool setpieces and well shot sequences, especially in the last act, that I'm sure were probably really scary back in the day.
The director also does a solid job balancing the different tones of humor, mystery, and thrills. The film starts with a bang, but then it does loses some momentum in the first half as we see Johnny's attempts to woo Betty. There is a bit of a goofy but earnest approach to it, so it will depend on how much you like that. However, once they all end up in the house, it does pick up, as Chaney is formally introduced and we see his "madness" in action.
Regardless of what you're expecting from it, The Monster has a lot of things going on to make it worth your while. Whether it's as an example of an early and effective horror film, as one of the first instances of the "old dark house" type of films, or as a testament to Lon Chaney's excellent work.
Grade:
THE MONSTER
(1925, West)
A film with Lon Chaney
(1925, West)
A film with Lon Chaney
"You must be mad!"
"Don't you dare call ME mad!"
"Don't you dare call ME mad!"
That's the offended response from Dr, Ziska (Lon Chaney) after being called "mad". But then again, that's what you get when you perform mad experiments on unsuspecting people. He is "the monster" in the title. The film, however, focuses primarily on Johnny Goodlittle (Johnny Arthur), a meek but determined amateur detective, who sets out to investigate the numerous kidnappings happening in the countryside.
Johnny's investigation takes him right into the abandoned sanitorium where Ziska performs his experiments. Considered as one of the first films within the "old dark house" sub-genre, the film does make good use of the setting with our hero trapped in the house, along with his love interest Betty (Gertrude Olmstead) and his rival (Amos Rugg). There are some pretty cool setpieces and well shot sequences, especially in the last act, that I'm sure were probably really scary back in the day.
The director also does a solid job balancing the different tones of humor, mystery, and thrills. The film starts with a bang, but then it does loses some momentum in the first half as we see Johnny's attempts to woo Betty. There is a bit of a goofy but earnest approach to it, so it will depend on how much you like that. However, once they all end up in the house, it does pick up, as Chaney is formally introduced and we see his "madness" in action.
Regardless of what you're expecting from it, The Monster has a lot of things going on to make it worth your while. Whether it's as an example of an early and effective horror film, as one of the first instances of the "old dark house" type of films, or as a testament to Lon Chaney's excellent work.
Grade: