Night of Terror is, for the most part, a rather nondescript poverty row imitation of The Cat and the Canary, notable mainly for a typically vigorous performance from Bela Lugosi, some remarkable racist stereotyping and the odd interesting pre-code touch, including a cop being subdued by a ‘funny’ cigarette. The acting is terrible, the film thrown together and Lugosi, just two years after Dracula propelled him to stardom, is already resigned to playing supporting characters in low rent affairs.
But there’s one great moment in the film, and that’s the ending. A final coda involving ‘the Maniac’ the film’s main villain / red herring, rising from the dead to warn the audience that if hey give away the ending of the film, he’ll invade their bedrooms and tear them “limb from limb”. He sounds like Lugosi, but it’s actually Edwin Maxwell wildly hamming away.
We wouldn’t suggest watching the whole film just for this scene. luckily, it’s on YouTube as a stand-alone clip.
