Ape Man, The
Entry updated 14 October 2024. Tagged: Film.
US film (1943). Banner Productions. Directed by William Beaudine. Written by Barney Sarecky, supposedly based on Karl Brown's story "They Creep in the Dark" (claims that this appeared in The Saturday Evening Post remain unverified). Cast includes Louise Currie, Wallace Ford, Henry Hall, Emil Van Horn, Ralph Littlefield, Bela Lugosi and Minerva Urecal. 64 minutes. Black and white.
Dr. Randall (Hall) meets up with Agatha (Urecal), sister of his apparently missing colleague Dr. James Brewster (Lugosi), to reveal that the report of her brother's disappearance is a cover story: he has actually been hidden away, though "he'd be better off in the family cemetery plot". Randall explains that six months ago the pair of Scientists made "an astounding discovery": Brewster chose to be the guinea-pig for their experiment, "and unfortunately it was a great success". Arriving at Brewster's house, Randall leads her through a secret door to a laboratory, where he points to a cage: inside Agatha sees a gorilla (Horn), and what appears to be another next to it, until she realizes it is clothed and has her brother's face (see Apes as Human). He is let out of the cage; though extremely hirsute, prone to stoop and with a tendency to pick a fight with the gorilla, on this first meeting his mind seems unaffected. Brewster weeps at his condition, since attempts to find a cure have been unsuccessful and he has to struggle – not always successfully – against being overwhelmed by animal instincts. He believes his only hope is to be injected with human spinal fluid, but Randall refuses to do so as it requires a living donor, who would die. Meanwhile Jeff Carter (Ford), a reporter trying to meet Agatha – a famous ghost hunter (see Supernatural Creatures) – is surprised to find his new photographer, Billie Mason (Currie), is a woman. They get an interview at the house and Billie takes a few photographs.
Now having crossed into Mad Scientist territory, Brewster takes the gorilla to Randall's house and has it murder the butler whilst he extracts the spinal fluid: the police are baffled to find ape hairs clutched in the victim's hand. After the fluid is injected there is an immediate improvement: Brewster walks upright, but only temporarily Deciding he needs more fluid, he takes the ape into town and goes on a killing spree. However Randall, who was forced at gunpoint to perform the first injection, refuses to do so again and smashes the bottle of collected fluid: Brewster kills him.
Meanwhile, Jeff has noticed an ape-like face in the background of one of Billie's pictures (Brewster having peeked into the room during their visit) and links it to the murders. He goes to Brewster's house, telling Billie not to follow; she does and, in the half-light, hits him over the head with a vase. Brewster now returns, grabs Billie and takes her to his laboratory to drain her of spinal fluid. There is a scuffle and Billie hits the release on the gorilla cage: now free, it attacks and kills Brewster, but is shot when the police arrive. Jeff takes Billie to his car: in it sits the eccentric Zippo (Littlefield) who has been seen a few times before, usually offering plot-relevant advice. Asked who he is, Zippo replies, "I'm the author of the story. [looks at camera] Screwy idea, wasn't it?" The film then ends (see Postmodernism and SF).
There is little Technology, though Brewster uses a "televisor" security camera (see Inventions) enabling him to see from the laboratory who is at his front door. The thinking behind the two scientists' experiment is not explained, though Randall's remarks suggest the end result (arguably Devolution) was intended. Brewster's shift into murderous psychopath is rushed, whilst his relationship with the gorilla varies: pals when on the town murdering strangers, at other times each aggressively seeking dominance over the other. Nonetheless, Lugosi gives a good performance and, providing one has low expectations, The Ape Man is a moderately enjoyable, Clichéd Horror B-movie (see Cinema).
Despite the title, the subsequent Return of the Ape Man (1944), also starring Lugosi, is not really a sequel: the "Ape Man" here is a frozen caveman (see Origin of Man). An earlier film, The Ape (1940) also involved an ape and a scientist killing to acquire spinal fluid, and might have been an influence. [SP]
links
previous versions of this entry