A Face in the Fog

A Face in the Fog is a very derivative 1930's mystery movie. We have many of the staples of the genre – a mysterious black cloaked villain, a bubbly and inquisitive female journalist, a cowardly comedy character, a ridiculous murder method, etc etc. So it isn't exactly breaking the mould to say the least. However, it isn't too bad as these films go either. Unlike many mystery movies of the time, this one actually remembers to include some suspenseful moments. OK, it's hardly a white knuckle ride but it does have a reasonable villain and a good enough final confrontation; while the mystery is reasonably diverting enough. And last, and by no means least, it's very short so it never really outstays its welcome. These old Poverty Row films are for the most part extremely limited and lacking, and while this one doesn't entirely break away from that generalisation, it's one of the more entertaining ones.

Newspaperman Lloyd Hughes and newspaperwoman June Collyer want to get married, but first they need to track down the Fiend, a hunchback who's been attacking a theatrical company putting on a play by author Lawrence Gray. The fiend poisons people, but takes a break to shoot at Miss Collyer. He keeps hitting other people, who die of poisoning. The two are helped -- if that's the word -- by cameraman/comic relief Al St. John, who seems not to have read the script, but walks around with a vague, wary expression and responds to everything with "So long as you've got your health."

It's a cheap and unengaging piece of tripe, with stars who have long since lost their luster the only draw, just the sort of thing you'd expect from producer Sam Katzman. Director Robert Hill does not require his actors to speak loudly enough to reach the back row of the balcony, for which I credit sound man J.S. Westmoreland.

My copy of this film is very difficult to watch (lots of vertical wavy lines), so it was tough to stick with this film, but it was an interesting 1930s murder mystery. It was fun to see lots of old cars with running boards all over the street scenes. The acting was competent, & the plot involved a novel idea (of "frozen" bullets). You have to forget about the fact that the killer carried these "frozen" bullets around for hours in his pocket, but that's a mere insignificant detail in a "Poverty Row" film such as this one. I rate it 5/10.

A reporter claims to have seen the face of "the Fiend", a hunchbacked killer dressed in black that is terrorizing a city and a theater in particular by poisoning people by some unknown means. The Fiend naturally makes her his next target and she has to go on the run. Hooking up with a reporter she attempts to find out the killer and remain alive.

Fast moving and making almost no real sense whats so ever this movie is as artificial a mystery as you can get. Its best described as taking a 1930's mystery and stripping it of anything other than the mystery mechanism (Murderer is on the lose killing people) while throwing in cliché characters, comic relief and making any revelation either a red herring or more likely a twist out of the left field of a ball park two cities over just to keep things going.

In any real sense its a mess, however as a pure machine it works. As totally mindless mystery time killer it can entertain you. Its the type of thing where you can pretty much guess the killer the instant he appears, but you don't care and can't be sure because the film is making so many odd turns that nothing makes sense even though you're hoping it will.

I don't know if you should search it out, but if you run across it an want to see as nonsensical and stripped down mystery as you can get its worth a shot. (I just don't recommend this if you need things to make and real linear sort of sense)

A Face in the Fog (1936)

** (out of 4)

A masked killer known as The Fiend uses a special bullet that is guaranteed to kill his victim as well as leave his mark. Frank (Lloyd Hughes) and Jean (June Collyer) take an interest in the mystery and decide to track The Fiend down but soon they become a target.

A FACE IN THE FOG is an early producer credit for Sam Katzman who would become one of the most prolific producers in Hollywood. This Poverty Row film is certainly far from bad but at the same time there's really nothing here that sets it apart from the dozens of other "old dark house" type thrillers that were released throughout the decade. While there are a few interesting things here in the end it's pretty forgettable.

Both Collyer and Hughes are decent in their roles and they at least keep the film entertaining. Al St. John, former co-star of Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, is the comic relief friend but takes away more than he adds. At just a hour the film moves fairly quickly and as I said it's interesting enough to hold your attention. I will say that I liked the look of the killer and the opening sequence is also quite good. Still, A FACE IN THE FOG really doesn't stand out in a crowded field so it's only for die-hards of the genre.