The Lodger (4 stars)

The Lodger, from 1944, is a suspenseful drama/mystery starring Merle Oberon, George Sanders, and Laird Cregar.  Set in London during the time of the Jack the Ripper killings, this film is perfect for stormy day or Halloween night viewing.  Although not a horror film by any stretch of the imagination, it definitely has that "scary movie" element to it.

Just after another young woman is killed by "The Ripper," an elderly couple rents their attic rooms to a man named Slade (Laird Cregar).  A strange man, Slade tells them he is as a pathologist, with erratic, late-night hours; therefore, he requests that they think of him not as a guest, but merely a lodger.  Upon moving in, Slade removes all the portraits from the walls of his bedroom, for, as he tells his landlords, it was as though the women's eyes were following him constantly.

The couple's niece, Kitty (Merle Oberon), lives with them, and in due time, Slade makes her acquaintance.  An aspiring actress, Kitty is beautiful and charming, and she seems to ignite something in Slade.  He is greatly interested in the fact that Kitty is a "theatre girl," which prompts Kitty to offer to get him tickets to one of her shows.

As the police continue to search for "The Ripper," they realize that the black bag-carrying man seems to target the young women of the theatre.  Eventually, everyone comes to believe that the man in the attic is the killer.  Is he though?  And is Kitty---a showgirl---safe from "The Ripper?"  Or will she be the man's next victim?  How it all plays out is the balance of the film.

This movie was entertaining and mildly suspenseful.  As one who absolutely cannot do frightening films, but who does like a small amount of suspense, I thoroughly enjoyed The Lodger.  I can in all honesty say that "we chickens" can watch this film without having to cover our eyes.  Merle Oberon is lovely here...perhaps the loveliest I have ever seen her.  And Laird Cregar...wow!!  He was totally stellar in this role.  Truly, he played his part to absolute perfection.  With his Vincent Price-sounding voice, he was gentle and quiet, yet creepy and menacing all at once.  No one could have played this part better than Mr. Cregar did.  He was Academy Award-worthy here, in my opinion.

This film is out on DVD, so it ought to be fairly easy to track down.  Additionally, it is on the TCM schedule for Tuesday, March 13th at 1:30 a.m.  Try to catch it if you can.

Happy viewing!!