The Creeper (film)

{{Short description|1948 film by Jean Yarbrough}}

{{Infobox film

| name = The Creeper

| image = The-creeper-movie-poster-md.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| native_name =

| director = Jean Yarbrough

| producer = Bernard Small

| writer = Maurice Tombragel

| based_on = {{Based on|An original story idea|Don Martin}}

| starring = {{plainlist|* Eduardo Ciannelli

| cinematography = George Robinson

| editing = Saul A. Goodkind

| studio = Reliance Pictures, Inc.

| distributor = Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.

| released = {{Film date|df=yes|1948|9|}}

| runtime = 64 minutes

| country = United States{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/25504-THE-CREEPER?sid=a89de736-8a72-40ae-9f23-89012afa7743&sr=7.031813&cp=1&pos=0|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The Creeper|accessdate=July 5, 2020}}

| language = English

}}

The Creeper is a 1948 American horror film directed by Jean Yarbrough. The film stars Onslow Stevens as a mad doctor whose serum turns a man into a catlike killer.

Plot

{{no plot|date=May 2021}}

Two scientists on an expedition to the West Indies discover a serum which changes humans into cats, or, more precisely, into catlike killers. One believes they should continue with their experiments and the other does not, the disagreement costing the latter his life. Several deaths occur before the first scientist is halted in his mad plans.

Cast

{{cast listing|

Production

Between 1947 and 1951, Hollywood studios made almost no horror films with The Creeper being an exception.{{sfn|Marriott|Newman|2018|p=55}} It was developed under the working title The Cat Man and was in production from the beginning of March 1948 to the middle of the month.

Release

The Creeper was distributed theatrically by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. in September 1948. According to a March 1949 Hollywood Reporter article, radio writer Joseph Ruscoll sued Edward Small for using the title of Ruscoll's radio show, The Creeper for the film. The suit was settled for an undisclosed sum.

Reception

In a contemporary review, Dorothy Masters of New York Daily News described The Creeper as an effort "wasted in every phase, including story, performance and general production ... To further the bafflement, perfectly innocent people are given sinister mien. Three murders and a couple of near-misses don't improve the tale."{{sfn|Masters|1948|p=76}}

References

{{reflist}}

=Sources=

  • {{cite news|newspaper=New York Daily News|last=Masters|first=Dorothy|title=New York Dual is Below Par For This Week|page=76|date=October 6, 1948}}
  • {{cite book|title=The Definitive Guide to Horror Movies|last1=Marriott|first1=James|last2=Newman|first2=Kim|authorlink1=James Marriott (author)|authorlink2=Kim Newman|year=2018|orig-year=1st pub. 2006|publisher=Carlton Books|location=London|isbn=9781787391390}}