London After Midnight Page #9

Synopsis: When Roger Balfour is found shot dead in his London home, his death is declared a suicide by Inspector Burke of Scotland Yard, even though the executor of Balfour's estate, Sir James Hamlin, insists his friend never would have taken his own life. Five years later, the abandoned Balfour house comes to life again with the arrival of two sinister-looking tenants: a fiendish-looking man with pointed teeth, bulging eyes and a tall beaver hat, and a pale young woman in a long gown. The presence of the strangers prompts Sir James, who lives next door, to call in Inspector Burke again. Also living in the Hamlin household are the other people who were also present in Balfour's house the night he died: Sir James' nephew, Arthur Hibbs; the late Balfour's now-grown daughter, Lucille; and Williams, the butler. Burke expresses skepticism about Sir James' suspicions that the new neighbors might have been involved in Balfour's death, until strange things start happening: Balfour's body disappears from
Genre: Horror
Director(s): Tod Browning
Production: MGM
 
IMDB:
6.9
PASSED
Year:
1927
69 min
2,983 Views


INSERT:

Some drops of blood on floor.

BACK TO SCENE:
Burke puts his finger in one of the drops

and holds it up. Fresh blood. He thinks a moment, then

starts to rise.

216

INT. UPPER HALL (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

Burke, rising, exits through the open door back to Hibbs'

room.

217

INT. HIBBS' ROOM (NIGHT) FULL SHOT

Burke, coming in from hall, switches on the light. It is

now seen that he has Hibbs in a hypnotic trance, lying

covered by a blanket on a couch in a corner. Burke goes

over, looks at Hibbs a moment, then straightens out the bed

that he had himself occupied, takes off his pajama jacket

and put on his coat. Then he steps over, speaks to Hibbs.

Hibbs rises and goes over to the bed and sits on it, just

as he was sitting before the last fade out. Burke sits

down beside him.

218

INT. HIBBS' ROOM (NIGHT) CLOSE SHOT

Burke and Hibbs are on the bed as Burke looks at him with

piercing eyes. Hibbs is staring straight ahead of him. Now

Burke speaks to him sharply. Hibbs starts, and a

transformation takes place. He comes out of the hypnotic

trance, realizes his surroundings, looks at Burke and says:

TITLE:

"I must have fallen asleep."

BACK TO SCENE:
Burke nods "yes" and then gets over to him

that he'd better be getting to bed. Saying this Burke rises.

219

INT. HIBBS' ROOM (NIGHT) SEMI FULL SHOT

Burke, rising, says good night and goes out the door. Hibbs,

still a little dazed, rubs his eyes, gets up and goes over

to a dresser.

220

INT. HIBBS' ROOM (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Hibbs at the dresser. He stands there for a moment thinking.

He stifles a yawn. Then he looks at his wristwatch.

INSERT:

CU wristwatch Time: 2:30

BACK TO SCENE:
Hibbs is puzzled. He must have slept hours.

That's queer. He stands thinking a moment, then dismisses

the problem with a shrug and reaches into a drawer of the

dresser and gets out a photograph. He looks at it.

INSERT:

Photograph of Lucy.

BACK TO SCENE:
Hibbs looks at the picture fondly, greatly

troubled. He decides to see if she is all right. He turns,

puts the picture back into the drawer and starts out.

221

INT. HIBBS' ROOM (NIGHT) FULL SHOT

Hibbs, going softly, but quickly, out the door.

222

INT. UPPER HALL (NIGHT) SEMI FULL SHOT

Hibbs, coming out of his door, tiptoes quickly over to the

door to Lucy's room.

223

INT. UPPER HALL (NIGHT) CLOSE SHOT

At Lucy's door, as Hibbs comes in. The sword has gone from

its place over the keyhole where Hibbs himself placed it.

This he notices now with a start of alarm. He looks down to

see if it has fallen. No sword. In genuine anxiety now, he

knocks on the door and calls:

TITLE:

"Lucy!"

BACK TO SCENE:
He waits. No answer. He knocks harder. He

calls again, more loudly. Frantic, he tries the door,

banging it, calling to her in a loud voice. He throws his

shoulder against the door. It gives a little.

224

INT. UPPER HALL (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

Taking in doors to Sir James' and Burke's rooms. Both doors

open and Burke and Sir James appear. They start forward, in

excitement. (Both are fully dressed.)

225

INT. UPPER HALL (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

Hibbs throwing his weight against the door. It crashes open

as Burke and Sir James come into scene. Hibbs rushes into

the room.

226

INT. LUCY'S ROOM (NIGHT) FULL SHOT

The room in darkness, Hibbs rushing in. Sir James and Burke

follow. Burke switches on the light. The room is empty.

Hibbs rushes to the dressing room door, looks in there,

turns back:
"Empty!"

227

INT. BALFOUR HOUSE (NIGHT) SEMI FULL SHOT

The great room downstairs. The Stranger, the man identified

as Roger Balfour, is sitting in the chair at the table.

Sitting with his back to the camera is the Man in the

Beaver Hat. Lucy, in a white thin negligee, is being led

into the room by the Bat Girl. She starts toward the

Stranger at the table with uncertain steps, then stops.

228

INT. BALFOUR HOUSE (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Lucy, staring out of scene, her lips trembling.

229

INT. BALFOUR HOUSE (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

The Stranger at the table, looking out of scene at her with

large, spectral eyes, a bullet wound in his temple, the

pallor of death on his face.

230

INT. BALFOUR HOUSE (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

The two of them, motionless for a few feet. Then Lucy

starts suddenly forward, kneeling at the Stranger's feet.

231

INT. BALFOUR HOUSE (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

The Stranger, looking down at her with eyes of pity, saying

no word.

232

INT. BALFOUR HOUSE (NIGHT) CLOSE UP

Lucy, looking up tremulously. When she raises her eyes, as

if in a prayer, and says:

TITLE:

"Father! Father! I'm doing

this for you!"

BACK TO SCENE:
She finishes title.

233

INT. BALFOUR HOUSE (NIGHT) SEMI FULL SHOT

The Stranger puts his hand on Lucy's head, the Bat Girl at

one side, the Man in the Beaver Hat sitting watching them.

The whole effect is strange, fantastic, creepy.

234

INT. LUCY'S ROOM (NIGHT) MED. SHOT

The three men, Burke, Sir James, Hibbs. Burke is at the

open window, looking out, as though for something he might

be expecting. Hibbs is talking wildly to Sir James. He

cries out:

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Waldemar Young

Waldemar Young (July 1, 1878 – August 30, 1938) was an American screenwriter. He wrote for 81 films between 1917 and 1938. more…

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Submitted on May 15, 2017

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