The Monster is a 1925 American silenthorror comedy film directed by Roland West, based on the play by Crane Wilbur, and starring Lon Chaney and Johnny Arthur. It is remembered as an antecedental "old dark house" movie, as well as a precedent to a number of horror film subgenres. The film has been shown on the TCM network with an alternative, uncredited musical score. Roland West went on to direct The Bat and its later sound remake The Bat Whispers.
Synopsis
Johnny Goodlittle, an aspiring detective, enters an abandoned sanitorium while investigating a disappearance. Here, he discovers that Ziska, a renegade mad doctor, has taken over the asylum. Now Ziska has captured Betty, Johnny's romantic interest, to use in his mad experiments. John Bowman, a wealthy farmer, is kidnapped one night after two mysterious men lure his car off the road. When the wreckage is discovered the next day, constable Russ Mason forms a search party with Amos Rugg and Johnny Goodlittle. Amos and Johnny work at the general store in Danburg. They are in love with Betty Watson, the storeowner's daughter. Attempting to woo Betty, Amos invites her on a drive inthe country. Meanwhile, Johnny has followed a mysterious stranger to the country. The strange man has lured Amos' car off the road and kidnapped the couple. Johnny accidentally enters a hidden tunnel, and all three end up at Dr Edwards' Sanitarium. Once inside, they are greeted by Dr Gustave Ziska, who introduces Rigo, Caliban, and Daffy Dan, his patients. Ziska explains that he took control of the asylum after it had closed. After many attempts to expunge the three hostages, they are captured and sent to a dungeon, wherein Johnny finds Dr Edwards and John Bowman kidnapped by Ziska and his cronies. Dr Edwards tells Johnny that Ziska, Caliban, Rigo and Daffy Dan were once his patients at the sanitarium. Ziska had been a great surgeon who went mad and began to perform unorthodox operations. He now intends to perform experiments on Betty and Amos, to discover the secret of eternal life. Amos and Johnny are captured and brought to Ziska's laboratory, where Betty lies fastened to a surgical bed. Amos is strapped to the "death chair" and connected to Betty through a transducer, which will exchange their souls. Johnny eludes Ziska's henchmen and escapes to the roof, sending up flares which are seen by policemen investigating the wreckage of Amos' car. Having escaped, Johnny masquerades as Rigo and begins to assist the doctor. He frees Betty and Amos and straps Ziska to the death chair. Caliban appears and, mistaking the figure in the chair as Amos, activates the transducer, removing Ziska's soul from his body. Because there is no one on the surgical bed, there is no soul to complete the exchange, and he is rendered lifeless. Realizing his mistake, Caliban is distracted and Johnny captures him. The policemen enter the laboratory to find that Johnny has successfully apprehended the madmen and located the missing persons. This is enough to gain him respect as an amateur detective, and to win Betty's heart and hand.
In the play's 1933 revival, DeWolf Hopper played Dr Ziska, one of his last roles. Walter James also played Caliban in the 1922 play.
Genre
The genre and cinematic style of The Monster is ambiguous. Though preceded by several films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, it stands as an early mad scientist movie, and is arguably the first to feature the mad doctor with a cabal of minions to do his bidding. The picture also stands as an early example of an '"old dark house" movie, even preceding The Old Dark House itself. A distinguishing quality of The Monster which deviates from most horror films is its use of subtle humour in serious or dramatic situations. As in many conventional comedies, the protagonist Johnny Goodlittle is a comic relief character. He is also an early example of an effeminate, cowardly hero, as the actor Johnny Arthur usually played. The style of humor is often ironic or a running gag, such as Johnny's faith in candles and flares to call for help, or reliance on his "ingenuity" to overcome dire circumstances. However, unlike many contemporary horror movies that involve comedic elements, the dramatic scenes and eerie effects of The Monster are not intended to be campy, nor are they the crux of the plot. Critic Troy Howarth stated "Viewers expecting a typical Lon Chaney vehicle are in for a major disappointment, as the actor doesn't show up into well into the picture. And while he admittedly makes for an alarming presence.....it's not much of a role and doesn't allow him to evoke the kind of audience empathy one normally associates with the great actor."
