''The Monkey's Paw'' is a 1948 British second feature ('B')

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by

Norman Lee Norman Lee (10 October 1898 – 2 June 1964) was a British screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography * '' The Lure of the Atlantic'' (1929) * '' The Streets of London'' (1929) * '' Night Patrol'' (1930, documentary) * '' Doctor J ...

and starring

Milton Rosmer Milton Rosmer (4 November 1881 – 7 December 1971) was a British actor, film director and screenwriter. He made his screen debut in ''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' (1915) and continued to act in theatre, film and television until 1956. In ...

Michael Martin Harvey Michael Martin Harvey (birth registered as Jack Seaforth Harvey, baptised as Jack Seaforth Elton Harvey, 18 April 1897 – 30 June 1975) was an English actor. He was the son of the stage actor/manager Sir John Martin-Harvey and brother of actress ...

, Joan Seton and

Megs Jenkins Muguette Mary "Megs" Jenkins (21 April 1917 – 5 October 1998) was an English character actress who appeared in United Kingdom, British films and television programmes. Life and career Jenkins was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, the daughter of ...

. It is based on the 1902 story "

The Monkey's Paw "The Monkey's Paw" is a Horror fiction, horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs. It first appeared in ''Harper's Monthly'' in September, 1902, and was reprinted in his third collection of short stories, ''The Lady of the Barge'', late ...

" by

W. W. Jacobs William Wymark Jacobs (8 September 1863 – 1 September 1943) was an English author of short fiction and drama. He is best known for his story "The Monkey's Paw". Early life He was born in 1863 at 5, Crombie's Row, Mile End Old Town (not Wappin ...

. The screenplay was by Lee and

Barbara Toy Barbara Alex Toy Royal Geographical Society#Fellowship, FRGS (11 August 1908 – 18 July 2001) was an Australian-British travel writer, theatrical director, playwright, and screenplay writer. She is most famous for the series of books she wrote a ...

. It was produced by Ernest G. Roy.

Plot summary

A magic Monkey's Paw grants its owner three wishes before a disaster befalls them as punishment for tampering with fate.

Cast

as Mr. Trelawne *

as Mrs. Trelawne *

as Kelly * Eric Micklewood as Tom Trelawne * Brenda Hogan as Beryl *

Mackenzie Ward Mackenzie Ward (20 February 1903 – January 1976) was a British stage and film actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the ...

as Noel Lang * Joan Seton as Dorothy Lang *

Norman Shelley Norman Shelley (16 February 1903 – 21 August 1980) was a British actor, best known for his work in radio, in particular for the BBC's ''Children's Hour''. He also had a recurring role as Colonel Danby in the long-running radio soap opera ''Th ...

as Monoghan *

Alfie Bass Alfie Bass (born Abraham Basalinsky, 10 April 1916 – 16 July 1987) was an English actor. He was born in Bethnal Green, London, the youngest in a Jewish family with ten children; his parents had left Russia many years before he was born. He a ...

as Roberts, the speedway track manager * Rose Howlett as Mrs. Gurney *

Hay Petrie David Hay Petrie (16 July 1895 – 30 July 1948) was a Scottish actor noted for playing eccentric characters, among them Quilp in ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' (1934), the McLaggen in '' The Ghost Goes West'' (1935) and Uncle Pumblechook in ''Grea ...

as Grimshaw *

Sydney Tafler Sydney Tafler (31 July 1916 – 8 November 1979) was an English actor who after having started his career on stage, was best remembered for numerous appearances in films and television from the 1940s to the 1970s. Personal life Tafler was bor ...

as the dealer * Patrick Ward as Sergeant Lawson * Vincent Lawson as Morgan

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "The "story within a story", which deals with the marital tragedy related by Kelly, is well done, but it seems to result in detracting somewhat from the climactic intensity of the later tragedy, that of the Trelawnes, which is painstakingly built up with every possible effect of horror and suspense as Mrs. Trelawne imagines the imminent entrance of her dead son. Milton Rosmer as Trelawne and Megs Jenkins as the bereaved mother are the mainstay of the film. The remainder of the cast, though adequate, fail to approach the same standard of excellence." In ''British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959'' David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Old chiller loses most of its sting in this version." ''The Spinning Image'' called it "a creaky diversion with stagey acting and an obvious lack of funds to open it out, yet the strength of Jacobs' yarn was such that it showed through even the most impoverished of tellings." On his website ''Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings'', Dave Sindelar commended the film for its character development and climax which he called "suitably tense and eerie".

References

External links

* 1948 films 1948 horror films Adaptations of The Monkey's Paw British supernatural horror films British black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Films based on short fiction Films based on works by W. W. Jacobs Films directed by Norman Lee Films produced by Ernest G. Roy 1940s British films Films scored by Stanley Black English-language horror films {{1940s-horror-film-stub