Rondo Hatton was one of the most unique presences to ever grace the screen. Deformed through acromegaly, he turned tragedy into success by appearing as the villain in such horror films as 1946’s House of Horrors. He plays The Creeper, and seeing the “and Rondo Hatton as The Creeper”, I found it impossible not to hear that in the voice of the announcer from Leave it to Beaver when he introduces Jerry Mathers. Imagining Mathers as The Creeper is now the movie I most enjoy pondering what it would be like if it existed.
Not that the 1946 isn’t already interesting. Hatton had been rescued from drowning by a sculptor played by Martin Kosleck, who just happened to be at the waterfront when he was there to commit suicide. You see, Kosleck is one of the most poorly regarded of the city’s artists. The final straw was a potential customer dissuaded from buying one of his abstract pieces, when snooty art critic Alan Napier informs that guy the sculpture is “pure unadulterated tripe, with a streak of lunacy.” I didn’t know art critics were also psychiatrists, but lines like this will come up a few times.
Hatton’s face has given Kosleck the inspiration to create a bust in his likeness. As compensation for being his model, Kosleck will provide the man room and board. As a bonus to his employer, Kosleck might snap the spines of the artist’s enemies, like Tod Slaughter did in The Crimes of Stephen Hawke. Labelled The Creeper by the press, this is also how Kosleck had been murdering young women. Disturbingly, the coroner at the morgue is excited when he sees these new victims rolling in: “Jeez, if The Creeper’s still alive, I’m going to put in some overtime!”
Further candidates to become victims are Robert Lowery, as a successful commercial artist, and Virginia Grey, as his girlfriend and one of the more generous critics. Lowery sketches models in his apartment, where they appear in scandalously little clothing for the time, though today they could go to the grocery dressed like this and nobody would blink an eye. What surprised me is Grey seems to be completely accepting of this. One recurring gag I really liked in the film is how model Joan Shawlee is forever being sketched while holding a tennis racket and ball, only to drop them abruptly whenever there’s a break. I was amused by the bluntness with which she just lets these items fall straight to the ground with a clatter.
Curiously, the police detective played by Bill Goodwin is focusing his investigation almost entirely on the affable Lowery, when there is no shortage of artists who are glad when Napier, the first victim, dies. Nor does it make sense to pursue Lowery as additional art critics die. I’m just glad nobody is targeting internet movie critics, especially the anonymous ones.
Gray is an interesting character, as she has a good head on her shoulders. She has her own career and she pursues an investigation on her own that is independent from Goodwin’s. Unfortunately, in the end, she will decide on an apparent whim to sacrifice her career and marry Lowery. I guess she can’t have a career and be married, too.
Among the performers, it is odd how poorly Kosleck fares, as he has a large chunk of screen time. It is also difficult to take him seriously when he has the misfortune of looking at times like one of two different comedians: Martin Short or Kids in the Hall’s Bruce McCulloch.
But the real star of House of Horrors is Hatton. His performance here wouldn’t be a stretch for any actor, but you don’t need to extend yourself much when you have facial features as distinctive as his. He owns this film by default. Anybody else in the cast is facing an uphill battle when going up against something so naturally intimidating as that visage.
Dir: Jean Yarbrough
Starring Rondo Hatton, Virginia Grey, Martin Kosleck, Robert Lowery
Watched as part of the Shout Factory blu-ray box set Universal Horror Volume 4