The Undying Monster

It’s easy to see why George Sanders refused a contractually-mandated role in this lacklustre B-horror. There’s nothing compelling or creepy about the mystery, and the undying monster shows up for all of five seconds at the end before dying. American James Ellison is an awkward fit for the lead but several of his British co-stars are somewhat amusing.

Very well shot and a spooky, well-crafted story.

There is something very Sherlock Holmes about The Undying Monster (1942). All except for James Ellison, coming across comical in the role of the intellectual detective. I liked the atmosphere, even if it was done very economically. Did at least give the feel of a mystery in that old school way. Unfortunately Ellison broke the illusion every times to stepped on the scene.

I found myself wondering if this feature was the inspiration for Scooby Doo (with that Great Dane and all)...

So-so script gets a boost from Brahm's stylish direction. Loads of atmosphere.

This isn't the greatest monster movie, but it's got a ton of spooky gothic atmosphere, thanks to Brahm's wonderful eye and a pretty good score. I dunno, this has a pretty lousy rating on iMDB but I found it sufficiently entertaining. The detective in the story has a female sidekick who provides some comic relief... I noticed a lot of other reviewers find the humor out of place, but I thought she was amusing (although there were some sexist elements).

Pacing is a bit choppy with a vast number of red herrings for such a short feature; leaving many loose ends. The werewolf itself looks pretty bad; especially for a studio effort. Jokes seemed forced not just for the audience but on the actors as well.