Man in the Attic (DVD)

A fiendish, knife-wielding killer is loose on the dark, foggy streets of 1888 London. He is Jack The Ripper, a maniac whose brutal murders leave victims in such a horribly mutilated state that newspapers dare not describe the grisly details. Despite the climate of fear, financial misfortune forces Helen Harley and her husband to rent a room to a stranger named Slade. A hospital pathologist, his tall, striking good looks and mysterious, reserved demeanor make him an attractive prospect for the Harleys' other resident, the beautiful showgirl Lily Bonner. As the gruesome murders continue, the Harleys become wary of Slade's late night movements. Lily is hopelessly drawn to Slade, despite the warnings of a Scotland Yard Inspector. The very charms that have made Lily the toast of London attract the notorious Ripper and a terrifying fate that may be worse than death.

Man in the Attic is a nearly word-for-word remake of the 1944 chiller The Lodger, itself a re-working of Alfred Hitchcock's 1927 silent classic. While not overshadowing the powerful malevolence of Laird Cregar's masterful 1944 performance, Jack Palance brings a taut athleticism and a disturbing sensuality to this sophisticated Victorian tale of terror. Screenwriter Barre Lyndon specialized in suspense, having also written such memorable films as 1945's Hangover Square (another Laird Cregar masterpiece), The Greatest Show on Earth (Academy Award Winner for Best Picture, 1952) and War of the Worlds (1953). Prolific cinematographer Leo Tover's work includes The Snake Pit (1948), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), The Sun Also Rises (1957) and Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959).

• horror