Category: 1930’s

King of the Wild (1931)

King of the Wild
Poster for Chapter 8 of this 12-part serial

Directed by Richard Thorpe [Other horror movies: Murder at Dawn (1932)]

Prior to touching upon my thoughts on this serial, I first wish to discuss why I included it on this site.

As those who spend a lot of time on IMDb know, there are many films that are listed as ‘horror’ half the time, the other times not. Jaws goes back-and-forth as if it’s a feature of the film. And plenty of movies that should be listed as part of the horror genre aren’t (Stripped to Kill from 1987 wasn’t listed as horror when I first saw it, but is now).

My point being that ‘horror’ is a very malleable genre. The 1918 German film Die Augen der Mumie Ma has been called a horror film so often that, despite it’s more thriller-feel, I think it’ll forever be branded horror (and more so, forever disappoint those expecting horror). Right now, one of the three main genres for King of the Wild is horror on IMDb, so even though horror makes up maybe ten percent of the serial, I still feel it’s worth talking about, and touching upon what horror aspects there were.

With that out of the way, let’s get the obvious done with first – because this is a serial (12 episodes, totaling about three hours and 47 minutes), and because this is a pretty low-quality serial, this does feel as though it drags and drags, pulling out new cliffhangers at the end of each episode to easily be overcome at the beginning of the next one, repeat and repeat. I liked much of it, but boy, did it drag.

There’s a bunch of moving pieces in this serial, which, if you’ve ever seen a serial, you would probably expect. Only a few really stand out, though, including the main character, played by Walter Miller, and a villainous Arab played by *get ready* Boris Karloff. Karloff playing a stereotypical Arab character throughout this serial was something of a treat. It felt utterly ridiculous at times. The other main antagonist, played by Tom Santschi, was a bit more believable. Everyone else did moderately fine, but no one really stood out, aside from maybe Nora Lane, who played Miller’s love interest.

Most of the horror, or what people back then may have seen as horror, comes from Bimi, an ape man controlled by Santschi’s character. He’s powerful, prone to violence, and attacked multiple characters on the orders of his master, and a few episodes ended with his hairy hands reaching down to strangle an unsuspecting member of the cast (in typical 30’s horror fashion). There were some pretty threatening scenes with him, so I’m not too bothered by the inclusion. Though far more adventure in feel, leopards consistently jumping out at characters too was a legitimate worry throughout the serial.

And that’s mainly what this serial is, to be sure – adventure. I’ve never seen anything fit that genre more appropriately than this in my life. You get multiple locations, altercations with savage African tribes, not to mention criminal Arabs (this serial had the racial sensitivities of The Birth of a Nation), leopard attacks, sinking steamers, jungle action, some lava, and a mysterious diamond mine. Action, too, as the ape man and animals were rather fierce, along with constant brawling between characters, and more than a few deaths by gunshot.

There were some fun sequences throughout, such as escaped leopards prowling a ship at sea, causing it to sink, and a great scene with a skeleton and a burning sword, but let’s be real – in total, this serial runs for three hours and 47 minutes. No amount of fun sequences or likable characters can make up for that, especially when it’s primarily an action and adventure serial with horror on the back-burner.

The most widely available version of this serial is beat up. The audio quality isn’t great, nor, for that matter, is the picture quality, and it definitely feels like it’s on the lower end of productions, even for the time. If you know what you’re getting into, though, I think, for the most part, those aspects can be overlooked.

King of the Wild can be an enjoyable ride, but it’s a long and tedious one, and some of the characters don’t quite get the viscous ending you may hope for. I’ve seen this whole thing twice now, and while I still found it an okay experience, unless I’m watching this with a group of friends, it’s probably nothing I’d sit through for a third time.

5.5/10

The Bat Whispers (1930)

Bat Whispers

Directed by Roland West [Other horror films: The Monster (1925), The Bat (1926)]

One of the earliest-surviving full-talkie horror movies (assuming one doesn’t count 1929’s The Thirteenth Chair, or another oddball choice), The Bat Whispers stands up incredibly well, and ends up being a very enjoyable entry into the old dark house style of movie (despite being a remake of the 1926 silent The Bat, directed also by Roland West, as this film was).

First off, I have to talk about something I generally don’t, being the cinematography. There are some simply amazing shots and sequences throughout the movie. Just watch the first five minutes, and you’ll see what I mean. These pop up multiple times over the course of the film, and I’ve never seen something quite like it. I’m not sure exactly how to explain it, but it really makes this movie more unique than it otherwise probably would have been.

The story, about a master criminal trying to scare a bunch of people out of a house in order to look for some hidden money, isn’t overly unique, but it is done well. We have plenty of suspicious characters, and as the movie drags on, we find no less than three different parties contesting each other to find the money. Only a few people aren’t suspects, so the whole film has a fun vibe because of that.

Plenty of actors and actresses stand out. Gustav von Seyffertitz, playing a suspicious doctor, does well, though his character sort of becomes less important later on into the film. Chester Morris does pretty well playing Detective Anderson, a character with a few secrets himself, and really commands respect when on screen. Unfortunately, two of the characters, played by Charles Dow Clark and Maude Eburne (who did not have an unsubstantial role in The Vampire Bat, from 1933) were thrown in purely for comic effect. Luckily, one of the main characters, the lady of the house, played by Grayce Hampton, did fantastically. Her character never seemed to lose control or her cool, and was consistently solid throughout the whole movie, especially near the end.

I do wish the tone were a bit more consistent. As I mention above, there’s a few characters whose only purpose is comic relief, which is more than a little disappointing. That said, there’s plenty of more creepy scenes also. The Bat, with a sort of cloak that went on to influence Batman’s design, was pretty well-done, and his whispering (as the title alludes to) was moderately effective.

At the end, we have an actor from the film talking to us, the audience, about how The Bat would be disappointed if his identity got out, and implores us to not tell our friends, so that when they see the film, they too will find out with the surprise that we did. Is it corny? Sure, but is it fun? Hell yes.

The Bat Whispers is a very solid movie, especially for a talkie this early. Does it occasionally drag? Perhaps, but if you’re into old dark house mystery flicks like me, it’s no more or less than any other flick. Also worth mentioning, as I said, this is a remake of the 1926 The Bat, which was also pretty decent (though I’d need to rewatch it before really comparing the two). Also, in 1959, Vincent Price starred in a movie titled The Bat, which is another version of this story. That, of course, was very enjoyable (as almost every Price movie is). That said, I sort of doubt it could stand up to this 1930 adaptation.

If you’re into older horror and mystery flicks, I don’t think you’d be disappointed with this one. A solid rewatch all around, and one of the shining lights of the 1930’s, especially with those unique camera angles.

8.5/10