(1932)
Dir - William J. Cowen/Errol Taggart
Overall: MEH
This remake to Tod Browning's West of Zanzibar, (which starred Lon Chaney), is sadistic enough that it would not have been possible a mere two years later once the Motion Picture Production Code came into force. Calling it one of the earliest possible precursors to torture porn is not something it deserves, but Kongo does have a steady stream of brutality that makes it stand out for an early talkie. Walter Huston reprises his role as "Deadlegs" Flint which he also portrayed in the original Broadway play from 1926 and his is one of the most despicable and vile characters any film from the era ever had. Most of Kongo's running time is watching him endlessly torment everyone around him and the lengths and fervor with which he enjoys it is certainly unsettling. Underneath all of the disturbing qualities though, the plot is not that strong and it is far-fetched for a number of reasons how not only a cripple manages to control such a vast terrain where nobody just kills him already. Yet his very long-winded scheme in general is the kind of melodrama that is only really seen in the movies. Still, it is an interesting and almost thoroughly bleak film for its day.
(1935)
Dir - Stuart Walker
Overall: MEH
A tad dull and hampered a bit by bland direction and performances as well as an odd, overabundance of screen time given to squawking, older ladies for comedic relief was Universal's first stab at lycanthropy in cinema form, Werewolf of London. Similar to 1932's The Mummy, Werewolf was not based off of any pre-existing material and was an original screenplay with no less than six names attached to it. While this does not make the story the least bit sloppy or unfocused as one would possibly guess, it does in fact follow a rather predictable path, at least for modern audiences. We know Henry Hull is doomed from the get-go, we know how the full moon mythology works, we know no one in Scotland Yard is going to believe a werewolf is gallivanting around slaughtering people, etc. Yet the element of a rare, Tibetan plant that only blooms under moonlight, no silver bullet references, (those would come later), and a more consciously-aware wolfman are nice additions to the mythos. The fact that Hull's makeup is less elaborate is actually a solid move from a plot perspective and in the end, it is rather a plus that Universal ended up with two versions of the make-up after 1945's The Wolfman, even though this one clearly features the less iconic of them.
(1939)
Dir - Elliott Nugent
Overall: GOOD
Another remake of an earlier, silent property of the same name, The Cat and the Canary forgoes the German Expressionism seriousness of the original version by being a deliberate comedy. Bob Hope getting top billing says all there needs to be said as far as the different direction taken and he is typically Bob Hopey, playing a wimpish scardey cat who cannot stop wisecracking to save his life. Outside of a handful of off-the-mark examples, the humor connects and at a brisk seventy-four minutes, Elliott Nugent, (1949 The Great Gatsby), keeps it a lot of fun to see a bunch of would-be doomed relatives trying to survive a night in a absurdly creepy, New Orleans mansion. Charlie Chaplin's favorite leading lady Paulette Goddard makes an excellent scream queen, filling the role of "she saw something creepy so she must be suffering from hysteria" motif that hundreds of old horror movies liberally used. Though it is not as fun or spooky as similar, later entries like The House on Haunted Hill per example, it is a solid and funny whodunit nonetheless.
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