Scared To Death (1947)
Scared To Death (1947)
This next film is a rare treat, getting to see the legendary Bela Lugosi in colour! Scared To Death is a poverty row b-horror film that is based on the play Murder On The The Operating Table, which was inspired by the 1933 murder case which involved Dr. Wynekoop who was accused of murdering her daughter-in-law on her operating table in her basement. The film chronicles the events leading up to Laura Van Ee's mysterious death. The film starts with her lying on a operating table in the morgue, and is told through the voice of the dead Laura Van Ee, and is told in scenes or acts, and each scene or act is starts with her introducing it, and then an odd liquid dissolve from her dead body in to the scene. The film is a whodunit style horror film, where Laura is being stalked by a person in a green mask, and slowly we uncover why that is significant, until finally we learn who it is that as the title implies scared her to death. The film has an interesting cast of Lugosi and Zucco who play their characters serious, while other characters are there there for comic effect. The film is full of chills, thrills, and laughs. Overall it is a fun film, and is quite well done all in all. 
Scared To Death was directed by Christy Cabanne, with a screenplay by W.J. Abbott. The film was based on the play Murder On The Operating Table by Frank Orsino. Scared To Death was produced by poverty row company Golden Gate Pictures, and distributed by Screen Guild Productions in 1947. The film was made on a mere estimated budget of a reported $135,000. The film was shot in Cinecolor and is notable for being the only colour film that Bela Lugosi ever appeared in.
Scared To Death stars George Zucco as Dr. Joseph Van Ee, Roland Varno plays his son Ward Van Ee, and Molly Lamont plays his wife Laura Van Ee/Laurette La Valle, Gladys Blake plays their housekeeper Lilybeth, and Nat Pendleton plays Bill "Bull" Raymond who is their personal security guard who wants to win back his position at the central homicide division of the city's police department. Then the mysterious Prof. Leonide played by Bela Lugosi arrives accompanied by his dwarf companion Indigo played by Angelo Rossitto, and later in the film newspaper reporter Terry Lee played by Douglas Fowley with his companion Jane Cornell played by Joyce Compton arrive because they are tipped off that something is going on at the Van Ee residence. The film is framed by scenes at the morgue with Laura Van Ee laying dead on the operating table with Stanley Price as the Autopsy Surgeon and Stanley Andrews as the Pathologist. Then the last member of the cast is the mysterious Rene played by Lee Bennett. This film has a great cast, Nat Pendleton, Douglas Fowley, and Gladys Blake are fantastic as the comic relief in the film, and then there are George Zucco, Bela Lugosi, and Roland Varno playing the serious characters. The energy of the comedic characters and the serious characters help to create a great tone for the film, and it really does end up feeling like you are watching a play, and I can almost imagine a curtain closing between scenes and the audience applauding.
This might be a low budget film, however it is a really effective film. The film has some great straight horror elements, and some great intentional and unintentional laughs, and the film is purely entertaining. I love that Lugosi and Zucco can play in a silly film, without being mocking or insulting to them. I really enjoy this film, it is a fun film. If you haven't seen Scared To Death, I highly recommend checking it out, and being that it is Bela Lugosi's only colour film, I would say that qualifies it as a must-see film. You will most likely come across a copy of this film as part of a public domain horror film collection, and if you find one with it, it is definitely worth adding to your collection.
Scared To Death stars George Zucco as Dr. Joseph Van Ee, Roland Varno plays his son Ward Van Ee, and Molly Lamont plays his wife Laura Van Ee/Laurette La Valle, Gladys Blake plays their housekeeper Lilybeth, and Nat Pendleton plays Bill "Bull" Raymond who is their personal security guard who wants to win back his position at the central homicide division of the city's police department. Then the mysterious Prof. Leonide played by Bela Lugosi arrives accompanied by his dwarf companion Indigo played by Angelo Rossitto, and later in the film newspaper reporter Terry Lee played by Douglas Fowley with his companion Jane Cornell played by Joyce Compton arrive because they are tipped off that something is going on at the Van Ee residence. The film is framed by scenes at the morgue with Laura Van Ee laying dead on the operating table with Stanley Price as the Autopsy Surgeon and Stanley Andrews as the Pathologist. Then the last member of the cast is the mysterious Rene played by Lee Bennett. This film has a great cast, Nat Pendleton, Douglas Fowley, and Gladys Blake are fantastic as the comic relief in the film, and then there are George Zucco, Bela Lugosi, and Roland Varno playing the serious characters. The energy of the comedic characters and the serious characters help to create a great tone for the film, and it really does end up feeling like you are watching a play, and I can almost imagine a curtain closing between scenes and the audience applauding.
This might be a low budget film, however it is a really effective film. The film has some great straight horror elements, and some great intentional and unintentional laughs, and the film is purely entertaining. I love that Lugosi and Zucco can play in a silly film, without being mocking or insulting to them. I really enjoy this film, it is a fun film. If you haven't seen Scared To Death, I highly recommend checking it out, and being that it is Bela Lugosi's only colour film, I would say that qualifies it as a must-see film. You will most likely come across a copy of this film as part of a public domain horror film collection, and if you find one with it, it is definitely worth adding to your collection.
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