What's this about?

Lately, it seems like many of the movies/shows are just a rehash or reboot of things that have already been done. And so I started to dive into the past. It's been fun, but I find myself losing track of which ones I’ve seen and whether or not I enjoyed them. Sometimes the titles themselves just don't tell me enough to remember.

I wouldn’t have voluntarily watched a lot of these movies when I was younger. It’s strange how interests change. That goes for what I read, too. I have another blog that explores books. I’m mostly reading older fiction and memoirs, and some of the books have led me to movies/shows and vice versa. In those cases, I may post the book review over here as well.

There will be spoilers, which is different than my book reviews. That’s mostly because I want to have enough information to help me remember what I’ve seen. I’m getting older. The brain doesn’t cooperate like it used to. What can I say? The gray hairs are catching up with me!

Monday, August 18, 2025

Before I Hang - 1940

Well, we tried to stay away from the horror list for another week by watching the Japanese Spider Man "movie," but it was basically a 24-minute episode with epic stunts, so we had plenty of time to watch a horror film. Sigh...

We did skip to get to this shorter one, and we were gifted the presence of The Grinch (Boris Karloff). At the beginning, he's a doctor on trial for a mercy killing. He's found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. He'd been working on a serum that extends life. While in prison, the physician there talks to the warden so the doctor can continue his work. When it comes time for his hanging, he convinces the prison physician to inject him with the serum to see what it does to his blood after his death. But! At the last minute, his sentence is commuted to life in prison. Now that he's alive, he continues his research, but he suffers effects of the serum since they used blood of a murderer to create it. He starts murdering people, but he doesn't remember it. The first time, it looks like Otto committed the murder, so The Grinch ends up looking like a hero and is released.

Eventually, The Grinch wants to experiment on his friends. They're getting old, and he's not afraid to tell them that. One in particular, Victor, has just finished a performance of Chopin. The Grinch tells him he's losing his touch, and he can be injected and young again. None of the friends want to be guinea pigs, and The Grinch takes it as a personal affront. 

The movie was weird. I was super bummed about Victor. He was my favorite. The actor's name was Pedro de Cordoba, and he had such a wholesome manner. I also believe he was actually playing the piano. I couldn't find any information to backup this claim, but I'd be surprised to find out it wasn't him. RIP Victor.

The premise of the movie was strange. The end was weird but not surprising. I'm still bummed about Victor. By killing him, now no one will hear his music! Stupid murderer!

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