MURDERS IN THE ZOO (1933)
In terms of pre-Code films from the Golden Age of horror there are usually less shocks than contemporary censors would have you believe. But still there are always a few surprises when it comes to simple and occasionally brutal thrillers of the time. There are also far too many comedy scenes in some of them as I will examine here. Perhaps even in its shortened version (in a film that is barely over an hour long already) there were too many grisly moments for the 1930s audience. I would have thought the resulting tonal whiplash was more frightening that anything that goes in this kind of picture, but that's just the way it seems to have gone, and the movie is less than classic as a result.
Travelling zoologist Eric Gorman (played by Dr. X himself Lionel Atwill) is on a tour of an unspecified region of Indo-China. Here he's been busy collecting specimens for the eponymous zoo; a menagerie that consists of several species but most importantly a rather venomous Green Mamba. In case the audience isn't sure who will be the bad guy this time around Atwill stares into the camera during the opening credits and gives everyone the evil eye. Then for good measure he savagely attacks a man who has apparently kissed his wife, and makes sure that he will never kiss anyone again. Things escalate quickly since the would-be romantic soon becomes incapable of doing much of anything again.
Eric has an insane obsession over his wife Evelyn, (played by the Panther Woman herself Kathleen Burke) who is coincidentally planning to leave him. This whole kissing incident is in fact unrelated to her plan to get a divorce and escape with her lover Roger (John Lodge). It seems that Eric has been less than kind during their marriage, and later he happily states that he finds more kinship with the animals that with anyone close to him. If it wasn't for the opening scene he might even be a sympathetic figure; somebody unable to make human connections in life. Usually in a story like this there would be some kind of characterisation after all.
But it's not to be and in fact Eric quickly turns out to be one of the nastiest villains of the period. Not only is he a lunatic that kills to solve any marital problems but he's also a monster in other ways. A single line from Evelyn makes it clear he's happy to force himself on her despite her obvious hatred for the situation. It's interesting that they go to some lengths to avoid giving him any real positive attributes. Subplots revolving around the zoo having budgetary problems or the potential good that venom research could have hint at a charitable side. However, these concerns are nothing to someone that is only concerned with revenge and control.
Unfortunately as things go on this potential for suspense gets sidelined in favour of comic relief. After a lot of cheap stock footage to establish the zoo location we're introduced to Peter Yates, (Charlie Ruggles) a bumbling publicity agent. Instead of examining the desperate situation Evelyn is in the whole things stalls so he can repeatedly go through a silly rambling schtick. Despite the very short running time this all feels like padding, as if the writers didn't know what else to do with the material. It could have been much darker and more iconic, but instead it's often a mixed bag. The alleged 'green mamba' being some kind of python could be forgiven if the rest of the film wasn't so shoddy.
Still, it's not all bad in terms of side stories. The snake venom research leads into further mayhem and murder, and the whole thing starts to feel like an interesting take on The Speckled Band. Sequences involving alligators and boa-constrictors are particularly brutal as the whole affair ramps up towards the end. Beyond a very funny running effect as Eric tries to escape the zoo it's pretty compelling stuff, although it's sad to see real big cats being allowed to hurt one another. It's a shame that only one moment of real detective work sees him found out (the other clue is found by random kids) but the writers obviously didn't prioritise the murder mystery angle.
Overall it's a strange experience that tries to merge some of the darkest horror elements of the period with some pretty awkward gags. Eric clearly has no interest in the zoo's finances (and in fact shuts it down to cover his tracks at one stage) so the whole press agent story could have been dropped. The reporters don't contribute to his demise and the party guests they're invited to photograph aren't real characters. With a few tweaks this could all have been retooled into something more effective; either to go deeper into Eric's psychosis or to expand on the overall tragedy. Then again at the end of the day if you want murders in the zoo this isn't false advertising.
3/5
BONUS REVIEW
THE SPHINX (1933)
Meanwhile, despite a promising start to the proceedings, things only get worse in this mixture of murder mystery and patience testing archetypes. At the 'Garfield Investment Company' a stockbroker is strangled to death by someone that looks very much like Jerome Breen (Lionel Atwill). But at the trial he is cleared because of testimony from a comic relief janitor who the killer spoke to that night, since Breen was born mute. It's not an a comedy, although modern viewers are sure to chuckle at a cop who says 'Garfield? Where'd I read something about him today?' However, it's also lacking pacing and suspense. It's clear Breen is involved but the reasons and the detective work involved are very dull.
To keep things interesting most of the story is instead centred around a reporter; Jack Burton (Theodore Newton). It's unclear if both Jim Davies and John Carpenter saw this one, I guess you never know. However, between there's no chemistry between Jack and his not-girlfriend Jerry (Sheila Terry) who think Breen is a killer and a charity patron respectively, even as more deaths happen in the world of stocks and shares. Each time Breen seems to give himself away, meaning that it becomes clear he's a villain though it's unclear why anyone watching should care. The sassy reporter antics in Mystery of the Wax Museum are much more forgivable in hindsight.
But beyond the played out 'they hate each other until they don't' melodrama, what of the alleged 'sphinx?' Unfortunately beyond the opening credits that give Atwill an Ancient Egyptian head-dress there's no other suggestion of style in the movie. It's just a tabloid name given to the killer because of his methods. I suppose calling the film 'The Strangler' is too boring, and perhaps more violent sounding. The whole affair meanders until Jack, the cops, and Jerry find themselves in a spooky mansion with a secret chamber. But even this is wasted and the way they find out Breen's secret is very contrived. In the end this one's a curiosity for completists only.
1/5
