Oct 3, 2022
The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942)
"To think that I should be forced to reveal my secret prematurely, robbed of my triumph - and by a manufacturer of bogus hair restorer."
#the boogie man will get you#mad doctor cycle#1942#boris karloff#comedy horror film#american cinema#lew landers#edwin blum#robert b. hunt#hal fimberg#peter lorre#maxie rosenbloom#larry parks#jeff donnell#maude eburne#don beddoe#frank mitchell#george mckay#frank puglia#had high hopes for this comedy spooker; the final entry in the Karloff Mad Doctor Cycle‚ and marking the end of his contract with Columbia‚#I'd hoped for something special‚ particularly with Lorre involved. alas it's a little weak. heavily indebted to Arsenic and Old Lace#(whilst it predates Capra's film‚ the play was already a sensation and in fact Karloff had just won rave reviews playing Jonathan Brewster#on broadway) there's enough silliness and fun to keep it boiling over but it lacks the essential energy that makes screwball work.#it's nice to see Karloff playing a little against type (and the opposite of his Lace role) as the fuddery old professor whose experiments#unfortunately tend to kill their subjects; alas he's entirely upstaged by Lorre in an absolutely delightful performance as the local one#man government (mayor‚ sherrif‚ coroner‚ notary..) who inexplicably carries a kitten in his pocket at all times. it's a large and hammy#part but PL does wonders with it and steals the entire film away with him. the romantic leads are a little less noteworthy (they're fine#but couple divorced for reasons of mental cruelty just isn't as endearing as Arsenic and Old Lace's newlyweds)#silly and slight and not that impressive really‚ but Lorre truly is a delight so i guess that makes it worthwhile
