Today I watched the 1944 spooky mystery The Lodger. Weird… I could have sworn I have already seen this story… In fact, I feel like I watch this story every few months. The 1953 Man in the Attic is probably the closest connection but there have been numerous, lesser known ones made around that time.
And there is nothing surprising about that, after all, this is the story of Jack the Ripper, one of the most famous, baffling, and terrifying mysteries of all time. Such story will always work on imagination, and so it makes sense many artists would choose to try and present it their way.
But also, yeah… not much to talk about here when it comes to the story, we all know what it is. Can we instead talk about the cinematography? It is simply beautiful, even though this was not a giant production. Laird Cregar plays the titular lodger and his physicality, his posture, but also the shadows he is cast in, make him a truly terrifying presence. It is very shocking that he was only thirty-one when this film was made, and that, tragically, he died that very same year.
The big star of the film is Merle Oberon who is gorgeous, but also very interesting in the role. I feel like a damsel in distress, a cabaret singer like this would not normally receive as much subtlety as she gives her(self).
There is definitely a social commentary to be made here, about how some men have so much hate for women, but I feel like we have done nothing but for the past several years — sometimes all you want is to enjoy a spooky movie.
Swingin' at the Seance 