Okay...it is really corny. Stupid, if you must. Still, our feature today is a lot of fun. When it came out in 1936, movie audiences probably were enthralled by this horror/mystery that was more of a madcap drama. The Berlin Olympics were taking place. The Fuhrer would see Jesse Owens win the Gold. A mad regime would cement its hold on the most important country in Europe and begin conquering its smaller neighbors. There was means to escape. The movies, especially this one. Our feature today is "The House of Secrets," directed by Roland D. Reed.
Our beset protagonist is Barry (Leslie Fenton), a good bloke. He meets a sultry dame, Julie (Muriel Evans) on a ship over to England. He saves her from a brute but she decides to remain a mystery. Too bad...she's really hot. Barry pines that he has no means to find the love of his life. Uh oh...he will be played the sucker. The naive and lovelorn Barry will be notified by a lawyer that he has inherited an English manor 15 miles outside of London. Also, he will inherit great monetary wealth and a treasure hidden somewhere on its grounds. Barry is happy and goes to this mansion, supposedly vacant for a hundred years. Surprise! Julie is there. She's terrified and implores Barry to depart and not return. Before meeting Julie there, hounds are released on him and Julie's dad, Dr. Kenmore (Morgan Wallace) orders him off the property at gunpoint.
Barry, valuing his life, leaves but keeps sneaking back onto his estate. The sounds of lunatics emanate out of basement laboratories and murderous thugs keep showing up, too. The thugs threaten Julie and promise Barry they will shoot him. Dr. Kenmore keeps showing up with a gun and keeps ordering Barry to leave. The lunatics keep howling and it is apparent Dr. Kenmore is experimenting on them in the cellar. Uh oh, the Home Secretary (Holmes Herbert) and the police commissioner are in on the plot to keep Barry away from the grounds he just inherited. Barry, who has met a gal completely out of his league, cannot stay away. He wants to marry Julie. Uh oh...to do that, he will have to stay alive and also keep Julie alive.
Just who does Barry have to protect Julie from? What is being done to the lunatics in the basement? What do the highest reaches of the British government have at stake that they would want to keep Barry away? Atmospheric and fun. Ms. Evans is sultry and her relationship with Barry gives all us schmucks hope that even we can land sultry dames. See "The House of Secrets," and forget about war in Europe.
No comments:
Post a Comment