111 House of Horrors ( 1946 )

This  film  was  meant  to  kick  start  a  franchise  starring  the  deformed  Rondo  Hatton  as  "The  Creeper". In  the  event  only  two  films  were  made  before  Hatton  died  and  the  second  one  was  so  badly  received  that  it's  doubtful  the  series  would  have  continued  anyway.

A  sculptor , De  Lange  ( Martin  Kozleck ) is  about  to  throw  himself  into  the  Seine  after  a  critical  savaging  when  a  comatose  man  ( Hatton ) floats  into  view. Believing  the  man's  features  will  make  his fortune  De Lange  revives  him,  unaware that  the  man  is  a  serial  killer  known  as  The  Creeper. When  he  works  that  out,  he  sets  the  grateful  Creeper  on  his  enemies.

It's  not  a  bad  storyline  but  it  suffers  from  a  lack  of  sympathetic  characters. Certainly the  wrong  girl  gets  killed  in  more  ways  than  one..

Virginia  Grey  ( as  Joan  Medford )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Virginia  - who  plays  a  really  irritating  character  here - was  the  daughter  of  film  director  Ray Grey  and  a  child  actress  in  the  silent  era. She  had  a  break  from  acting  in  the  thirties  but  then  recommenced  a  very  long  career  in  film  and  TV  which  lasted  to  the  mid-seventies.She  died  in  2004  aged  87.  

Joan  Shawlee  ( as  Stella )

Sex : Appears  in  a  close-fitting  two  piece  tennis  outfit  in  most  of  her  scenes

Death :  Her  spine  is  snapped  by  The  Creeper

The  statuesque  Joan  was  originally  a  model  and  singer  in  New  York  and  was  at  the  beginning  of  her  career  here. She  went  on  to  small  but  memorable  roles  in  Some  Like  It  Hot  and  The  Apartment . She  switched  successfully  to  television  including  a  short  series  in  the  UK  called  Aggie  with  Patrick  McGoohan. She  died  of  cancer  in  1987  aged  61.

Virginia  Christine  ( as  Lady  of  the  Streets ) 

Sex : Doesn't  get  round  to  any

Death : Her  spine  is  snapped  by  the  Creeper.

Virginia  was  no  more  than  a  bit  part  actress  in  films. She  was  a  reliable  guest  star  on  TV  but  found  her  greatest  fame  in  a 21  year  stint  advertising  Folger's  Coffee. She  died  in  1996  aged  76.
 

110 The Flying Serpent (1946 )

I  wasn't  expecting  this  to  be  much  good  but  it's  actually  quite  enjoyable.

George  Zucco  plays a  mad  archaeologist, Professor  Forbes, who  has  discovered  Montezuma's  treasure  and  the  winged  serpent  that  guards  it. By  means  not  really  explained, Forbes  manages  to  cage  it  and  discover  that  it  will  attack  and  kill  anyone  in  possession  of  a  feather  plucked  from  it. When  his  friend  Dr  Lambert  unwittingly  draws  attention  to  the pent   treasure Forbes  starts  using  the  serpent  ruthlessly  to  protect  his  secrets. As  such  it  has  a  very  similar  premise  to  The  Devil  Bat.

We  never  see  the  serpent  up  close  but  it  is more  convincing  in  flight  than  you'd  expect.

Hope  Kramer  ( as  Mary  Forbes )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Hope  is  pretty  obscure  as  this  is  one  of  only  two  films  she  made. She  was  born  in  New  York  in  1930. That 's  about  all  that's  known  about  her.

109 The Face of Marble (1946 )

This  is  a  strange  offering  which  can't  decide  whether  it's  a  mad  scientist  or  voodoo  picture  and  so  runs  the  themes  in  tandem  to  only  confusing  effect.

John  Carradine  plays  Dr  Randolph , a  mad  scientist  trying  to  revive  dead  people with  the  aid  of  younger  assistant  Dr  Cochran  ( Robert  Shayne ). His  younger  wife  Elaine   is  attracted  to  Cochran  and  her  voodoo-practising  servant  Maria  plots  to  bring  them  together. When  David's  fiance  Linda   arrives, events  spin  out  of  control

Claudia  Drake  ( as  Elaine )

Sex : No

Death :  Tricky  one  this. She's  killed  by  Maria's  poisoned  incense  intended  for  Linda and  then  revived  by  her  husband  though  perhaps  only  as  a  ghoul like  her  dog. At  the end  of  the picture  she  and  the  dog  walk  into  the  sea.

Claudia's  real  name  was  Olga  Fishbine. She  was  a  B-movie  actress  active  in  the  forties  and  early  fifties. She  died  in  1997  aged  79.

Maris  Wrixon ( as  Linda )

Sex : Looks  good  in  her  nightie

Death : Survives

This  was  one  of  Maris's  last  few  films  before  moving  into  television.

108 The Catman of Paris ( 1946 )

This  has  a  reasonably  intriguing  storyline  but  throws  in  too  many  red  herrings  and  has  to   resort  to  the  Talking  Killer  Syndrome  to  tie  everything  up.

Charles  Regnier  ( Carl  Esmond )   is  a  writer  returning  to  Paris  having  made  his  name  with  a  sensational  book  based  on  a  secret  trial. Charles  suffers  from  blackouts  and  when  a  government  archivist  is  murdered  and  slashed  he  starts  to  believe  he  may  be  responsible.

Lenore  Aubert  ( as  Marie  Audert )

Sex : She's  a  big  girl  but  it  all  stays  under  wraps

Death : Survives

Lenore  was  not  French  but  Slovenian  and  came  to  the  U.S.  as  the  wife  of  a  Jewish  refugee. Her  film  career  was  fairly  brief  and  after  a  couple  of  years  in  television  she  and  her  husband  started  a  garment  business  in  New  York. Her  second  husband  was  a  millionaire  and  thereafter  she  kept  herself  busy  with  charity  work. She  died  in  1993  aged  75.

Adele  Mara  ( as  Marguerite  Duval )

Sex : Some  nice  cleavage  on  show

Death :  Strangled  and  slashed  by  the  cat  man

Adele's  not  very  sympathetic  here  as  a  spoiled  bitch  .

Elaine  Lange  ( as  Blanche  du  Clermont )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Elaine  had  a  brief  career  as  a  bit  part  player. She  died  of  breast  cancer  in  1963  aged  44.

Tanis  Chandler  ( as  Yvette )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Tanis  was  born  in  Nantes, the  daughter  of  a  classical  musician. As  she  was  bi-lingual  she  dubbed  voices  in  more  films  than  she  actually  appeared  in. Her  career  petered  out  in  the  mid-fifties  and  she  died  in  2006  aged 81.

107 The Beast With Five Fingers (1946 )

A  rare  horror  outing  from  Warner  Brothers, this  was  also  Peter  Lorre's  last  film  for  them. This  is  a  justly  celebrated  film  with  high  production  values  and  an  absorbing  narrative.

Nicholas  Ingram  (  Victor  Francen )  is  a  one-handed  ( following  a  paralysing  stroke )  pianist  who  lives  a  reclusive  life  attended  by  a  nurse , Julie  and  an  astrologically- obsessed  secretary  Hilary   ( Peter  Lorre ). He  has  fallen  for  Julie  but  she  is  more  interested  in  his  younger  friend  Conrad  ( Robert  Alda )  who  adapts  musical  scores  for  him. When  he  falls  down  stairs,. his  will  brings  others  to  the  house  and  his  disembodied  hand  goes  on  a  killing  spree  - or  does  it ?

Andrea  King  ( as  Julie )

Sex : Julie  is  well-endowed  but  keeps  them  under  wraps

Death : Survives

Andrea  was  born  Georgette  Barry  in  Paris. She  was  a  popular  pin-up  girl  and  a  reasonably  successful  film  actress  in  the  late  forties. She  switched  to  television  in  the  fifties  with  many  roles. Though  she  largely  retired  in  the  mid-seventies  ,she  made  a  handful  of  appearances  in  the  early  nineties. She  died  in  2003  aged  84.

Patricia  Barry  ( as  Clara )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Patricia  was  at  the  start  of  a  long  and  successful  acting  career  especially  on  television. She  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Women  In  Film  organisation. She  died  a  couple  of  months  ago  aged  93.

106 The Soul of a Monster ( 1944 )

This   is  a  creepy  take  on  the  Faust  legend, big  on  creepy  atmosphere  and  religious  piety  but  short  on  action.

Robert  Winson  ( George  Macready ) is  an  eminent  surgeon  on  his  death  bed. His  despairing  wife  calls  on  an  alternative  power  to  God  and  a  mysterious  woman  Lillian  appears and  saves  him. However  it  is  a  very  different  George  that  returns  to  life  and  his  friends  become  concerned.

Rose  Hobart  ( as  Lillian )

Sex : No

Death :  Defenestrated  by  George  but  hey,  it  was  all  a  dream  anyway

Rose  gets  top  billing  here  as  the  devil-woman, Lillian. Perhaps  it  was  the  price  she  extracted for  bearing  that  hairstyle.

Jeanne  Bates ( as  Ann  Winson )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

This  was  a  meatier  role  for  Jeanne  although  she's  not  a  particularly  sympathetic  character.

105 The Vampire's Ghost ( 1945 )

This  vampire  picture  with  its  nonsensical  title  is  strictly  B-movie  fare.

Webb  Fallon ( John  Abbott )  is  a  talkative  vampire  and  a  Mr  Kurtz- like  figure  running  a  shady  bar  in  deepest   Africa. A  number   of  murders  happen  in  the  vicinity  and  he  becomes  chief  suspect. It's  a  dull  offering  , the  chief  point  of  interest  being  whether  Abbott  really  did  have  eyes  like  that  ? ( It  seems  not ).

Peggy  Stewart ( as  Julie  Vance )

Sex  : No

Death : Survives

Peggy  was  originally  Margaret  O  Rourke  from  Florida. She  was  originally  best  known  for  Westerns  but  then  switched  to  TV.  Her  career  as  a  character  actress  has  lasted  almost  to  the  present  day. She  is  now  93.

Adele  Mara  ( as  Lisa )

Sex : Wears  a  revealing  dancer's  costume  and  shows  her  knickers  during  her  routine

Death  : Killed  by  Fallon  for  betraying  him  although  he  later  says  she' ll  be  resurrected  as  a  vampire

Adele  was  originally  Adelaide  Delgado  from  Michigan. A  trained  dancer,  she  was  much  in  demand  in  the  forties  both  in  film  and  as  a  pin-up  girl.  In  the  fifties , she  switched  to  television, aided  by  her  marriage  to  producer  Roy  Huggins, appearing  three  times  in  his  Maverick  series.  She  retired  after  1978  and  died  in  2010  aged  87.

104 The Jungle Captive ( 1945 )

This  was  a  low  budget  final  instalment  of  the  ape  woman  trilogy   following  on  from  Captive  Wild  Woman  and   Jungle  Woman.  None  of  the  cast  from  those  films  returns,  with  Paula  being  played  by  a  different  actress , but  the  earlier  doctors  are  referred  to  in  the  script.

This  time  round  Paula  is  revived  by  evil  Dr  ( though  the  characters  consistently  address  him  as  Mister  )  Stendahl  ( Otto  Kruger )  aided  by  the  fearsome  Moloch  who  murders  as  he  goes. Moloch  is  played  by  the  famously  ugly  actor  Rondo  Hatton  who  looked  like  an  Easter  Island  statue  come  to  life  and  he's  the  best  thing  in  the  film.  Paula  is  actually  little  more  than  a  bit  player  in  the  film  which  focuses  more  on  the  investigation  of  Moloch's  murders  and  the  peril  faced  by  Stendahl's  duped  young  assistants.

Amelita  Ward  ( as  Ann  Forester )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Amelita  had  a  brief  career  in  B  pictures  in  the  forties. She  died  in  1987  aged  64.

Vicky  Lane  ( as  Paula )

Sex : Shows  some  flesh  in  a  two  piece  dress

Death :  Dead  at  the  start  of  the  movie , revived  then  once  more  shot  down  by  the  police

Vicky  was  originally  Grace  Coghlan from  Ireland. She  had  a  negligible  film  career  which  ended  with  this  one. Her  resemblance  to  Acquanetta  was  slight. Bizarrely , her  last  acting  credit  was  an  early  episode  of  Dad's  Army !  She  died  in  1983  aged  57.

103 Hangover Square ( 1945 )

 This  little  chiller  based  on  a  recent  novel  is  set  in  late  Victorian  London  but  it's  an  American  film.

George  Bone  ( Laird  Cregar )  is  a  talented  composer  commissioned  to  write  a  concerto  for  his  patron  Sir  Henry  Chapman  ( Alan  Napier)  and  admiring  plain  Jane  daughter  Barbara. However  George  becomes  distracted  by  singer  Netta , a  trashy gold-digger  who  only  wants  him  to  write  songs  for  her. What  she  doesn't  know is  that  when  George  hears  discordant  noises  he  goes  into  a  trance  and  there's  no  telling  what  he might  do. George  Sanders  is  also  in  the  film  as  George's  psychiatrist.

Cregar  died  of  a  heart  attack  shortly  after  completing  the  film.

Linda  Darnell   ( as  Netta )

Sex : Netta  flashes  her  knickers  during  her  first  performance  and  wears  low-cut  dresses  throughout.

Death : Strangled  by  George  with  a  thuggee  cord.

Linda's  real  first  name  was  Monetta. She  made  it  in   Hollywood  at  a  very  young  age  and  became  typecast  as  a  sweet  young  girl. This  is  one  of  the  films  that  enabled  to  escape  that  but  her  career  became  hit  and  miss. She died  from  burns  received  in  a  house  fire  in  1965  aged  41.

Faye  Marlowe ( as  Barbara )

Sex : Shows  some  cleavage  late  in  the  film

Death : Survives

This  was  the  eighteen  year  old  Faye's  first  film . The  daughter  of  a  famous  dancer, she  had  a  brief  career  which  finished  in  the  mid-fifties. She  is  still  alive  aged  90.