Night Monster (1942)

Night Monster: Directed by Ford Beebe. With Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Leif Erickson, Irene Hervey. Kurt Ingston, a rich recluse, invites the doctors who left him a hopeless cripple to his desolate mansion in the swamps as one by one they meet horrible deaths.

“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 couldnu0026#39;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. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNight 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 u0026quot;Bu0026quot; 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. Itu0026#39;s oblivious who the killer really is. Itu0026#39;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 itu0026#39;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.”