Scream in the Night (1935)
* (out of 4)
Detective Jack Wilson (Lon Chaney, Jr.) is after a jewel thief in a small seaport. This was the first film where Chaney went by the name "Lon" and it's apparent he did so here to cash in on his father's memory and name. The film has a title at the start to let us know Lon Chaney, Jr. is the "star" and he's playing two roles, something his father did several times. Chaney offers up two very different roles with different results. He's actually pretty good as the detective but his scenes as the drunk are over the top and silly. As far as the film goes, it's pretty bad from start to finish. I normally get some sort of enjoyment out of these "B" mysteries but this one here is just downright awful with a bad story, weak supporting characters and horrible direction. This is without question one of the weakest mysteries I've seen. What's so shocking is that the movie runs under a hour yet it feels like three.
* (out of 4)
Detective Jack Wilson (Lon Chaney, Jr.) is after a jewel thief in a small seaport. This was the first film where Chaney went by the name "Lon" and it's apparent he did so here to cash in on his father's memory and name. The film has a title at the start to let us know Lon Chaney, Jr. is the "star" and he's playing two roles, something his father did several times. Chaney offers up two very different roles with different results. He's actually pretty good as the detective but his scenes as the drunk are over the top and silly. As far as the film goes, it's pretty bad from start to finish. I normally get some sort of enjoyment out of these "B" mysteries but this one here is just downright awful with a bad story, weak supporting characters and horrible direction. This is without question one of the weakest mysteries I've seen. What's so shocking is that the movie runs under a hour yet it feels like three.