ClassicFlix will release on Blu-ray Leslie Arliss'
The Night Has Eyes (1942), starring James Mason, Wilfrid Lawson, Mary Clare, Joyce Howard, and Tucker McGuire. The release will be available for purchase on February 28.
Official description: When the Carne House Secondary School for Girls closes for the holidays, schoolteacher Marian (Joyce Howard) and her colleague Doris (Tucker McGuire) decide to vacation on the Yorkshire moors—the same area where Marian's friend Evelyn mysteriously vanished a year earlier.
While taking a shortcut on foot to their destination, a violent storm kicks up and the two women are forced to seek shelter in the home of composer-pianist Stephen Deremid (Mason), a recluse suffering from the shell shock he experienced fighting in the Spanish Civil War. Marian soon develops an attraction towards Stephen...but she also starts to suspect that he might have had something to do with Evelyn's disappearance.
Adapted from the 1939 novel by Alan Kennington, The Night Has Eyes (A.K.A. Terror House and Moonlight Madness) showcases one of the earliest screen performances from James Mason (Odd Man Out, Bigger Than Life) who shines in his brooding portrayal as the enigmatic murder suspect, and is matched by British femme fatale Joyce Howard's performance as the heroine determined to solve the mystery of her missing friend.
Skillfully written and directed by Leslie Arliss, Eyes is a spookily atmospheric thriller that benefits greatly from the haunting cinematography by Gunther Krampf (The Hands of Orlac, Pandora's Box), who painstakingly worked for hours getting the right density on the artificial fog effects. Character greats Wilfrid Lawson and Mary Clare are particular standouts in a superb supporting cast.
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Also on the same date, ClassicFlix will bring to Blu-ray Walter Summers'
The Human Monster a.k.a.
The Dark Eyes of London (1939), starring Bela Lugosi, Hugh Williams, Greta Gynt, Edmon Ryan, and Wilfred Walter.
Description: The dedicated detectives of Scotland Yard are investigating a series of deaths involving victims found drowned in the Thames. The link in these baffling murders is that they were all indemnified through Dr. Feodor Orloff (horror icon Bela Lugosi), an insurance agent who's designated The Dearborn Home for the Blind as their beneficiary. Could there be a deeper connection between the sinister Orloff and John Dearborn, the kindly minister in charge of the home?
Detective Inspector Larry Holt (Hugh Williams) is convinced there is and his investigation becomes personal when the daughter of one of the victims, Diana Stuart (Greta Gynt), is recommended by Orloff for secretarial work at the Dearborn home. The inspector quickly develops an attraction for Diana, but she soon learns too much and will suffer the same fate as her father if Holt doesn't act quickly to solve the case.
Shot in a speedy eleven days, The Human Monster (A.K.A. The Dark Eyes of London) was based on a 1924 novel by prolific mystery author Edgar Wallace (the co-creator of King Kong) and provided Lugosi with a rare opportunity to appear in a motion picture produced abroad. Monster was also the first British film to receive an "H" certificate (for "Horrific") from the British Board of Censors meaning that children under the age of 16 were not permitted to see the motion picture.
Utilizing moody lighting and atmospheric sets, The Human Monster stands out as one of Lugosi's more memorable post-Dracula showcases and he's aided immeasurably by a fine supporting cast and skillful direction from Walter Summers (The Return of Bulldog Drummond), who also contributed to the script along with Patrick Kirwan, Jan Van Lusil and producer John Argyle.