Thriller of the Week- The Monster

In 1925, Lon Chaney not only made The Phantom of the Opera but he also starred as the heavy in a film called The Monster. The movie is one of the first examples of the horror-comedy. Johnny Arthur supplies the comedy element in the film playing, Johnny Goodlittle, a store clerk with aspirations of becoming a detective.

As fate would have it, the mysterious disappearance of John Bowman, a wealthy member of the community baffles the local constable at the scene of his abandoned,wrecked vehicle. Johnny, a milktoast of a man and his rival Amos Rugg have accompanied the constable. What the investigators don't know is what the viewers saw at the beginning of the film. Bowman's car accident was no accident. A shrouded figure had been lurking at the roadside and when Bowman's vehicle came down the road, Rigo (as he would come to be known) lowered a mirror in the roadway causing Bowman to think an oncoming car was going to crash into him. Bowman swerved and wrecked the car. A secret tunnel opened in the ground and Bowman was carried away.

Johnny stumbles upon a clue at the crash site. It points to the local sanitarium, but he is ignored by the constable and Amos.

We soon learn of Johnny's love interest in the beautiful Betty Watson the general store owner's daughter, played by Gertrude Olmstead who is being courted by Amos.

At the conclusion of a party, Amos drives away with Betty and Johnny is left walking home when he runs into a strange man and begins following him. Rigo, again sets up his mirror trap and this time it is Amos and Betty who fall victim to it. The man Johnny is following is also part of the scheme and Johnny sees the wreck and he too falls into the hidden tunnel trap in the ground and then Johnny, Amos and Betty all tumble into the sanctum of the asylum where the patients have taken over the asylum and are led by Dr. Ziska, played by Chaney.

From here the story plays out like an Old Dark House mystery and Johnny must use his ingenuity to free Betty, Amos and himself.

Ziska (Chaney) and Rigo

The movie is more comedy than horror and Chaney takes a back seat to Arthur because of it. Chaney does a good job of portraying menace, however. Chaney's expressions add menace to the line Ziska states after his captive guests ask him "Doctor, shall we see you in the morning?"

Ziska's response, "Who knows if one will ever see the morning."

Amos, Betty and Johnny survive Ziska's trap

All in all The Monster is a pleasurable 86 minute film and it helped pave the way for later horror comedies.