While some critics tend to inflate Edgar G. Ulmer’s auteur credentials (he only made two indisputable classics, The Black Cat and Detour), he was one of the most technically accomplished directors working within the poverty row system. The cheap set bound recreation of the Paris streets comes alive for the viewer by Ulmer’s skilled use of expressionist shadows and lighting. John Carradine plays a tormented painter and puppeteer, driven by sick compulsions to strangle any woman who models for him. He falls for a beautiful young socialite who wants him to paint her. Carradine often cited this as his favorite performance in a horror film and he may be right. He manages to capture both the appealing suavity and the deep rooted and incurable darkness, making the character human while never apologizing for his despicable actions. The script itself is cliched stuff, but Carradine is more than up to the task of maintain the viewer’s interest. It’s worth a watch to see how a talented crew can make a quality output even in the direst of circumstances.
Teenage Frankenstein: Cinematic Journeys, Personal Obsessions 