The Crimes of Stephen Hawke (1936)

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

I'll admit it - I quickly became a Tod Slaughter fan. I *think* I first saw him as a kid but I can't really recall - I know about 3 years ago I started becoming very familiar with him and quickly became a fan. Like most people, I watch Tod Slaughter films for Tod Slaughter's performances. He's quite good - very theatrical and lively on film so he makes an otherwise mediocre film entertaining.Now this film is more than just Tod Slaughter being an entertaining, it's actually a pretty good story on top of it. One of Slaughter's best films.I love the atmosphere in this one. It's very much of a Victorian Gothic film - it's no masterpiece but it's one that really enjoyed watching.9/10

By spine, I meant suspense. You know, whom the killer in the first scene and know what's playing out isn't for real. It wasn't scary nor much of a thriller. It's disappointing. It's just didn't stand out, and based on how many bother to watch the movie, it's seem that this movie is nearly forgotten due to that reason. The film isn't even television formatted as the title word card doesn't even fit on the screen. There seems to be a lot of wide shots in the movie that doesn't show everything when watching the DVD on TV. The movie opens at a BBC radio studio, where a variety program is being broadcast. After the singing duo of Flotsam and Jetsom and a comic butcher perform, Tod Slaughter appears as himself to perform a radio play about Stephen Hawkes. By the opening, you can see what is wrong with the film. Rather than building suspense by having the events play out. The movie is telling us that the actor is just acting, and it's just a play. What kind of horror movie starts its movie with upbeat music and a comedy act? Also the movie doesn't go back to the radio studio, that's the last we heard from them. So what was the point that scene? It waste time. Anyways, we are taking back to a period piece set type of a movie where Hawkes like all serial killers, appears to others, a model citizen. A money-lender, he is compassionate and caring toward his clients. In a sick incest way, he's also deeply extremely attentive to his lovely daughter, Julia (Marjorie Taylor). On his free time, he become a killer known as the 'Spine Breaker' who viciously kills his victims in a gory and painful manner for his ability to snap his victim's spines. It was pretty shocking to see a child get killed in this 1936 film by Stephen. It wasn't until WWII that the board of censors would enforced codes for horror movies and banned them if they were too violence. This film manage to escape those codes. Like every horror movie at the time, he is aided by his assistant, a strange hunchback, surprising not name Igor. It's seems like every other scene is him driving Stephen Hawkes place to place to hide from the law and Matthew Trimble (Eric Portman) who vows to hunt him down. Stephen rarely looks scary due to his cowardly ways. He's always on the run in this movie. Once in a while, Todd Slaughter acts scary or creepy by hamming or cheesy sinister laughs, but it felt over the top theatricals from his theater performing days when he was playing Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Murder in the Red Barn, or Crimes at the Dark House. It didn't help the movie that it didn't have much of any music to it. There is long scenes that would have been deeply improve with haunting music. The opening and the ending are the only ones I can remember having such music. It's truly is hard to watch. Slaughter is the only reason to watch any of his films, but I will warn you. It's nearly unwatchable.

Tod Slaughter was as different as could be from his American counter parts Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. He was part of the British tradition of barn storming stage melodramas that toured the provinces in the gas light era. The audience would boo and hiss the villain, sigh over the heroine and cheer the hero. In Sydney, Australia, in the 1960s and 70s theatre restaurants came into fashion and Neutral Bay Music Hall changed it's program every few months. I remember seeing "The Springheeled Terror of Putney Green" (which Slaughter also made into a film), "Fleet Footed Jack" and "Her First False Step" - they were all great fun. Tod Slaughter was straight out of that gas light tradition, in fact the beginning of "The Crimes of Stephen Hawke" is at pains to point out that the plays the thing and it's all make believe.For the first ten minutes it is like a radio program with an odd novelty act "Flotsam and Jetsam" who seem to look at the daily papers for inspiration for their satirical songs. Then the announcer introduces Slaughter as having "murdered thousands of people and been hanged thousands of times" then Slaughter continues "yes and I'm still alive to tell the tale"!!! He then proceeds to tell listeners about his strangest role - Stephen Hawke, who is kindly yet a fiend. Within minutes "kindly" Stephen Hawke has left his trademark on a small boy who dared to order him from the gardens - "my garden isn't for people like you" the snotty nose brat tells him. Yes, Stephen Hawke is the "Spine Breaker", although to everyone in the village he is a kindly money lender who gives generously to his friends. Slaughter may not have been able to match his Hollywood co-horts as far as production values, but in evilness he was second to none. The thought of killing a child in the first few minutes would have been unthinkable to Karloff or Lugosi.His one joy in life is his ward, Julia, and it is at her party that the "Spinebreaker" strikes again. Only Nathanial, Hawkes down trodden clerk knows his real identity and also that his generous reputation hides a mean and cowardly nature - he gleefully turns a widow and six children out onto the street, all for owing 10 pounds!!! Suspicion now starts to fall on Hawkes, especially as people begin to notice his extremely strong hands and when his good friend, Mr. Trimble, dies, his son Matthew finally gets to the bottom of the hunt for the killer, who has escaped from prison by changing identities with a poor man who has just stolen a loaf of bread!!!Surprising to see that Eric Portman, such a distinguished actor of the 1940s, specialising in introspective, urbane villains, got his start playing the young hero in Tod Slaughter movies, this one and "Maria Marten". This definitely isn't my favourite Tod Slaughter movie, for anyone wanting an introduction I would recommend "The Face at the Window" (1939).

"Stephen Hawke is a moneylender whose compassion for his clients is only outshined by his devotion to his lovely daughter. What she and the rest of the public don't know is that Stephen Hawke is leading a double life. At night, he becomes 'The Spine Breaker', a notorious killer with the habit of viciously killing his victims in the most horrible ways imaginable," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis. Silly movie, enriched as much as possible by two under-appreciated British stars - murderous Tod Slaughter (as Stephen Hawke) and Shakespearian Eric Portman (as Matthew Trimble) - both deserving better productions.**** The Crimes of Stephen Hawke (1936) George King ~ Tod Slaughter, Eric Portman, Marjorie Taylor