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.
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.