"The Beast With Five Fingers" is a 1946 Gothic horror film set in a large villa near an Italian village. Soon after pianist Francis Ingram's death, a series of mysterious events haunt his friends and relatives as they fight for control over the estate. Ingram's piano suddenly plays music in the middle of the night. A mysterious light glows in Ingram's mausoleum. Ingram's attorney is choked to death. Evidence points to Ingram's disembodied hand as the culprit.
The standout performance in the film is by Peter Lorre, who plays a man driven to insanity. Lorre's character Hilary Cummins is the center of a big reveal roughly halfway through the movie that's wonderfully creepy and bizarre. "The Beast With Five Fingers" has the most energy and life whenever Lorre is at the center. The film lags, however, whenever it turns to the subplots of the the other characters. Lorre shines amidst all that flat, wooden acting.
My biggest issue with "The Beast With Five Fingers" occurs when the film abruptly ends and takes a jokey, humorous tone that undermines the suspense of the rest of the movie. One of the characters suddenly turns to the camera, addresses the audience and laughs at how unbelievable the events of the film are. I don't understand the point here – the quick explanation in the final reveal feels unearned and the unexpected break with the fourth wall feels bizarre.
Despite these issues, "The Beast With Five Fingers is worth seeing for Lorre's performance and its creepy, Gothic atmosphere.
The standout performance in the film is by Peter Lorre, who plays a man driven to insanity. Lorre's character Hilary Cummins is the center of a big reveal roughly halfway through the movie that's wonderfully creepy and bizarre. "The Beast With Five Fingers" has the most energy and life whenever Lorre is at the center. The film lags, however, whenever it turns to the subplots of the the other characters. Lorre shines amidst all that flat, wooden acting.
My biggest issue with "The Beast With Five Fingers" occurs when the film abruptly ends and takes a jokey, humorous tone that undermines the suspense of the rest of the movie. One of the characters suddenly turns to the camera, addresses the audience and laughs at how unbelievable the events of the film are. I don't understand the point here – the quick explanation in the final reveal feels unearned and the unexpected break with the fourth wall feels bizarre.
Despite these issues, "The Beast With Five Fingers is worth seeing for Lorre's performance and its creepy, Gothic atmosphere.