The Gorilla

He MURDERS without mercy! But always sends a quick note beforehand to make sure you're available... So don't be dismissive if you receive a missive from... THE GORILLA! 

I consider 1939 a turning-point in the history of Old Dark House movies, mostly due to the success - and subsequent influence - of The Cat and the Canary, released towards the year's end, in November. The formula was of course nothing new, but the competence and care with which it was delivered redefined the horror-comedy genre in the same way that Scream would fifty years later. Audiences clearly relish the unique thrill of laughing one minute and facing genuine suspense the next - and the trick worked then as it does today, resulting in a raft of imitators and variations on the cat-and-canary theme between 1940 and 1944.

This is really all a long-winded way of saying that, since it was released six months before The Cat and the Canary, The Gorilla is not one of that film's descendants (although it was based on a 1925 stage play inspired by the success of 1922's The Cat and the Canary on Broadway). Instead, The Gorilla feels a bit like a transition piece, taking the surfeit of silliness that marks immediate predecessors like Sh! The Octopus and marrying it with some of the high-Gothic production values of films just over the horizon, such as Hitchcock's Rebecca (1940). The result is, well... interesting! 

I've nothing against its stars, the three Ritz Brothers, who carved out a four-decade career in comedy, but even they were unhappy with the script of this one, according to accounts. You can see why. They barely get a decent gag between them, leaving the door wide open for Patsy Kelly (as scared-but-sarcastic maid, Kitty) to steal the whole thing, with a one-note but still genuinely funny performance. 

Well, almost steal it... Surprisingly, Bela Lugosi comes close with his slyly deadpan turn as Peters the butler. I don't know whether it's the humour vacuum left by the Ritz Brothers or the fact that Bela wasn't usually given much space to fill on the funny-front (or perhaps both) but he certainly makes the most of everything offered to him here. It's funny when he treats the Ritzes as idiots and it's funny when he acts all creepy and suspicious, and because these are the lion's share of what he's required to do... it's all funny! It's even funny when a frightened Kitty practically jumps into his arms for protection. How often did anyone expect that of Bela Lugosi?

This is also a film that ticks a big box for me by having a good opening scene. With Old Dark House movies, it's important to feel that fix of cosy fear early on: in The Gorilla, the camera flies up to the roof of the house (prefiguring Dario Argento's similar cinematic gymnastics in Tenebrae) to witness the arrival of the killer, before swooping back down to a bedroom window to visit an unsuspecting victim reading a book in bed. The mansion set has quite a luscious texture, and is lit as if under constant attack by crawling shadows, while a realistic storm grumbles in the background. 

Also working in The Gorilla's favour (at least during its first half) is its plot. Although it's never really investigated fully, the basic idea of an unknown, monstrous killer sending notes to those he intends to murder (at midnight!) is a nice set-up, and neatly paired with the parallel story of two relatives coming together to discover they're joint beneficiaries in a will - assuming each survives. An early, drawn-out suspense scene finds the entire cast awaiting the hour of twelve to find out if the villain keeps his promise... It's appropriately play-like, a touch eerie, and a suggestion of what might have been achieved if the film had kept its focus. 

Sadly, it doesn't. Not only are there at least three Ritz Brothers too many to keep track of, but a repetitive round of secret passage-hopping at the climax makes everything seem simultaneously shallow and overly complicated. Still, none of this is somehow quite enough to kill it and, if you focus on Bela, Patsy and the rather gorgeous production, The Gorilla holds various charms in its hairy arms. 

RATING: 🕸🕸🕸