Dr. Crippen, 1962

Dr. Crippen is an account of one of the most infamous cases of murder in British history: that of Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen (played here by Donald Pleasence), an American physician living in London. Crippen was the first criminal to be captured by aid of wireless communication and was subsequently hanged at Pentonville Prison on November 23rd, 1910 for the murder of his wife, Cora Henrietta Crippen (Coral Browne, later seen in Theater of Blood); a well known music hall entertainer who performed under the name of Belle Elmore.

Crippen’s wife tired of him; it’s claimed that she had affairs and treated the mild-mannered doctor as little more than a servant. Belle knew that Hawley had taken his typist Ethel le Neve as a mistress (played by Samantha Eggar in her first film role) and threatened to leave him, which would ultimately be good news for the doctor had she not planned to take their joint savings with her.

After a party at their home on January 31st 1910, Cora "Belle" Crippen mysteriously disappeared. Hawley Crippen claimed she had returned to the United States, where she had later died and been cremated. However, from February 1st Ethel le Neve began staying at the Crippen’s home at 39 Hilldrop Crescent, Camden Town and was soon seen openly wearing items of the dead woman’s clothing and jewellery. Crippen was also recorded as having pawned items of his wife’s jewellery on February 1st.

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Mau Mau Sex Sex, 2001

Mau Mau Sex Sex is a candid trip down a smut laden memory lane with two of American exploitation cinema's foremost pioneers and all-round loveable "dirty old men" - Dan Sonney (R.I.P. - 3rd March 2002) and Dave F. Friedman. Directed / produced by Ted Bonnitt and written / produced by the "Czar of Noir", Eddie Muller, the film chronicles the history of "America's Oldest Independent Filmmakers", covering their lives from childhood through their rise as the Godfathers of "Adults Only" features.

Dan Sonney had grown up as the son of a police officer, turned professional huckster and filmmaker, Louis Sonney. When his father broke into the exploitation racket in the early 1930's by joining forces with the legendary Dwain Esper (Maniac, Narcotic, How to Undress in Front of Your Husband), young Dan was set on a path that would dominate the rest of his life.

While in 1934 mainstream Hollywood was just beginning to fall in-line with the Hays Production Code, the American cinematic underbelly was truly beginning to blossom. Independent directors and producers hawked their own seedy wares from town-to-town (commonly known as roadshowing), distributing material focusing upon those very topics the major studios now avoided and treated as taboo: prostitution, drug taking, vice rackets, adultery, underage marriage etc. Even in these early years of exploitation cinema, it was sex, sex and more sex (or at least the vague promise of) which would drag many a curious and niave audience member off the street and into an off-beat Grindhouse, long before the exploitation explosion of the 1960's and 70's. During this golden era of smut peddling, Dan Sonney's Amusement Enterprises released numerous sexploitation landmarks, such as Girls of the Street, Wages of Sin, Gambling with Souls and the Lili St. Cyr burlesque vehicle, Love Moods.

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The Spiral Staircase, 1945

Loosely based upon British crime writer, Ethel Lina White’s 1933 novel, Some Must Watch, Robert Siodmak’s The Spiral Staircase is somewhat of a cinematic hybrid. Containing varying elements of horror, psychological thriller and film noir, yet not fitting neatly into any one category, the film instead resides in a realm that may best be described as an “old dark house murder mystery” or simply a “lady in distress thriller”. This amalgamation is most reminiscent of the clear influences of both Alfred Hitchcock and Val Lewton.

It is a turn of the century New England and a deranged serial killer is on the loose; their target being disabled and physically afflicted young women within the local community. Having already claimed the lives of three victims thus far, it seems the next logical target on this psychopath’s agenda is Helen Capel (Dorothy McGuire of Gentlemen’s Agreement ), a young mute girl working as a live-in companion for a wealthy, yet bedridden Mrs. Warren - brilliantly played by legendary character actress Ethel Barrymore.

Fearing for her aide’s life, yet never truly stating why she feels she is in danger, Mrs. Warren urges Helen to leave the house as soon as possible. This plea is further reinforced by Helen’s love interest, Dr. Parry (Kent Smith of Cat People and Curse of the Cat People), who intends to cure her affliction - the cause of which is rooted deep in her past. Without wanting to spoil the remainder of the film, it probably goes without saying that if Helen were to merely flee the manor at the first sign of trouble, there wouldn’t actually be a remaining plotline. Not that it is a convoluted plotline or a series of red-herrings which make The Spiral Staircase such a tense thriller; the narrative is in fact straightforward enough that it shouldn’t be too difficult for even a more casual genre viewer to predict the killer long before they are revealed.

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The Haunting, 1963

“An evil old house, the kind some people call haunted, is like an undiscovered country waiting to be explored. Hill House had stood for ninety years and might stand for ninety more. Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”

So begins The Haunting, director Robert Wise’s 1963 adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s classic novel The Haunting of Hill House. The story tells of a group of four researchers investigating paranormal activity at Hill House; an eerie Victorian era mansion that was “born bad” and holds a morbid history of murder, misfortune and madness for all who have dwelled there.

The group is led by anthropologist Dr John Markway (Richard Johnson). Intent on scientifically proving the existence of supernatural phenomena, he has selected psychic Theodora (Claire Bloom) and Eleanor Lance (Julie Harris) for their previous encounters with the “abnormal.” Accompanying them in their research is sceptic Luke Sanderson (Russ Tamblyn), the young nephew of the owner of Hill House intending to keep a watchful eye on his future inheritance. What begins as a simple investigation into the unknown soon becomes a battle against dark unseen forces that threaten their very lives.

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The Stranger, 1946

Post WWII. United Nations War Crimes investigator, Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson) is on the trail of fugitive Nazi war criminal, Franz Kindler (Orson Welles). Having fled Germany, Kindler has relocated to Harper, Connecticut and assumed the new identity of Charles Rankin. Taking the job of university professor and marrying the daughter of a Supreme Court Justice, Mary Longstreet (Loretta Young), Kindler hides his dark secrets behind the respectable façade of white picket fences and well kept lawns of small town USA.

In the hope that he will be led to Kindler, Wilson releases convicted Nazi, Konrad Meinike (Konstantin Shayne) from prison. As suspected, Meinike does indeed flea straight to Kindler, who under threat of having his idyllic sanctuary disturbed and true identity revealed, takes the life of his fellow fascist before Wilson is able to catch up with him. Thus begins a tense game of cat and mouse, with Wilson coming ever closer to forcing Kindler’s hand and his true identity being revealed.

The Stranger has often been unfairly underrated by film critics and Welles aficionados. While maybe not being up to the cinematic landmark standard of Citizen Kane (1941) or even a Noir classic in the same league as Touch of Evil (1958) or The Lady From Shanghai (1947), we still see the stylish flare for which Orson Welles is held in such high regard, both behind and in front of the camera.

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