Night Monster (1942)
AKA: House of Mystery

Film details
View on IMDb ↗CastBela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Leif Erickson, Irene Hervey, Ralph Morgan, Don Porter, Nils Asther, Fay Helm, Frank Reicher, Doris Lloyd
Review
"Night Monster is a neat little B thriller in the "old dark house" tradition with some memorable twists and a very competent cast. Although Bela Lugosi is top-billed, he's completely wasted as the head butler who has little more to do than knit his brows, roll his eyes, and occasionally stare malevolently... Although it drags in places, Night Monster is a very effective and very dark B programmer. Charles Van Enger's superb cinematography and Ford Beebe's assured direction enhance some very chilling moments. Dr. Timmon's demise is particularly notable - as he cowers in a darkened corner of his massive bedroom, a menacing shadow first covers half of his quivering form, then envelops him completely as the thing casting the shadow runs full speed at him. No less a film titan than Alfred Hitchcock is said to have admired Night Monster." - Brian Schuck, Films From Beyond the Time Barrier
Ranking history
The 1,000 Greatest Horror Films
Top 1,000Outside Top 1,000Missing ranking data
Dashed lines indicate missing ranking data. Select a point to view that year's published list. The 1,000 Greatest Horror Films list was not updated in 2022.
Hidden Horrors
Published rankingNot ranked (outside published list)
The Hidden Horrors list was not updated in 2022. Full rankings beyond the published Top 150 are not available. Dotted segments and hollow points indicate editions in which the film was outside the published list; their exact ranks are unknown.