London After Midnight

Because London After Midnight is presumed lost, I thought it might be helpful to read excerpts from people who actually saw the film.

"There are moments during the onward sweep of this Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer offering when one feels that the essentials that make for mystery and creepiness have been carried a bit further than we have hitherto noted...Mr. Chaney's excellent work is materially aided by that grand master of screen acting, Mr. Walthall." ---Moving Picture World

"Will add nothing to Chaney's prestige as a trouper, nor increase the star's box office value. With Chaney's name in lights, however, this picture, any picture with Chaney, means a strong box office draw. Young, Browning and Chaney have made a good combination in the past but the story on which this production is based is not of the quality that results in broken house records." ---Variety

"It is a somewhat incoherent narrative, which, however, gives Lon Chaney an opportunity to turn up in an uncanny disguise and also to manifest his powers as Scotland Yard's expert hypnotist. You are therefore treated to close-ups of Mr. Chaney's rolling orbs, which, fortunately, do not exert their influence on the audience." ---The New York Times

No mention of a Lon Chaney film is complete without a word from Chaneyfan, Jon Mirsalis-

“The photos of Chaney as the vampire look fascinating and it's a Tod Browning film, so I'm sure that contributes to the excitement. In reality, the film is probably a stinker. Film historians Bill Everson and David Bradley both saw it in the 50's before the print was destroyed in a vault fire, and both told me it was a dog. "Three minutes of vampire footage and five reels of Polly Moran comic relief" is how Bill described it.”

As for David Bradley, you can make your own judgment as to his tastes. Truth in advertising dictates that I mention that David Bradley is the man responsible for They Saved Hitler's Brain. That aside, he was a great film historian and preservationist.

In 1982, I talked with someone in New York who had actually seen the film as a boy. He seemed to indicate that it wasn’t serious horror entry. “It wasn’t scary like Dracula,” he said, “it was all hammed up.”

My own feeling is that London After Midnight has been categorized incorrectly. At the time, it was promoted as a “Detective” picture. Today, most put the “Horror” label on it. More than likely it was really a “Comedic Thriller”.

Evidence of this is the casting. For example, Polly Moran was a scenery-chewing vaudeville comedienne. Her role was that of a hysterical servant who reacts to Chaney much in the way that Una O’Connor played for laughs in The Bride of Frankenstein. Marceline Day, who played Lucille Balfour, had done comedy with Harry Langdon, and starred in the silent version of the Boy Friend. She later went on to work with Buster Keaton.

Lon Chaney himself was a vaudevillian who could do comedy as well. Forrest Ackerman describes Chaney’s acting style in the film as being crouched over “like Groucho Marx”, hinting that it could elicit giggles from the audience. It’s probable that Chaney overacted on purpose as a take-off on his own “Man of a Thousand Faces” persona. It is also believed that this is the only film where we see Chaney’s make-up case onscreen, further evidence that Chaney was probably spoofing himself.

Comparing it to Tod Browning’s re-make, Mark of the Vampire, isn’t quite fair. Mark of the Vampire was played straight, no laughs. Even so, there is some vestigial humor evident, like the last scene where Lugosi turns out to be nothing more than an egotistical actor. We are doing this film a great disservice by calling it a “dog”. LAM was made quickly and with a small budget. In all likelihood, Browning and Chaney were just poking fun at themselves. It probably bore more of a resemblance to a William Castle production than a polished horror masterpiece like “Dracula”. By the way, I believe that fragments of the film may still exist. It’s likely on a reel labeled “Conrad Nagel Clips” or “Polly Moran Comedy”.

Once again, London After Midnight, mis-catalogued.