Dr. Renault’s Secret is a 1942 American horror movie produced by 20th Century Fox and directed by Harry Lachman (Charlie Chan films) from a screenplay by William Bruckner and Robert F. Metzler. It is based on the story Balaoo by Gaston Leroux (author of the more famous The Phantom of the Opera) which was adapted as a film in 1913 and again as the 1927 “lost” film The Wizard. It stars J. Carrol Naish (The Monster Maker), Shepperd Strudwick, Lynne Roberts, George Zucco.
Plot teaser:
A young doctor named Larry Forbes (Strudwick) arrives in a French village in order to wed the niece of prominent local doctor, Dr. Renault (Zucco). Dr. Forbes learns from the innkeeper that a storm has washed out the bridge to Renault’s house and he ends up spending the night at the inn. There he meets Dr. Renault’s strangely deformed man servant, Noel (J. Carrol Naish). It is during the night that the first of the murders occurs. Another tourist takes the room meant for him and is killed mysteriously…
Reviews:
” … for those of us who delight in digging through the trash heaps of cinema’s past, this film is definitely worth a look. It features some amazingly solid acting, especially from Strudwick and Naish, and even George Zucco puts in a credible, restrained (by his standards, anyway) performance. The script does a good job of juxtaposing Noel’s and Rogell’s criminal activities, and with a running time in the 60-minute class, the film moves along at a good, steady clip. By no means a classic, but check it out anyway if the opportunity ever arises.” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting
“Dr. Renault’s Secret may be more charm than actual suspense, but it’s a pleasant and breezy watch, with a couple of good performances. It’s maybe not a great classic, but it’s certainly worth a look, especially if you’re largely unfamiliar with Naish, or are just looking for a good movie about a not-so-mad ape man.” Orrin Grey, Innsmouth Free Press
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“J. Carrol Naish’s performance shares considerable credit for making Noel such a strongly sympathetic character. Like Karloff, Naish is able to express a depth of woundedness and loneliness through the make-up and general oddness of the character that is genuinely touching. His quiet manner of speaking and childlike cadence also gives him an innocent quality that makes one very much pity his circumstances. It also, on the other hand, makes his utterance to Dr. Renault, “I could kill you,” all the more disturbing.” Jared Roberts, Lair of the Boyg
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Wikipedia | IMDb | Image credits: Goblinhaus | Wrong Side of the Art!
