It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This amazingly surrealistic comedy spoofs just about every horror classic you can think of, and also throws in a good few nifty, original ideas as well. It's acted with superb timing by a great cast of farceurs led by Hugh Herbert, Allen Jenkins, and John Eldredge (who manages to keep a delightfully straight face in the midst of all the fantastic, surrealistic mayhem of this inspired, delightfully ridiculous take on all the trappings of the old dark house). Also in the cast: Australian actress Marcia Ralston (as Vesta Vernoff), Margaret Irving (as Polly Crane) and the long-time British stage actress turned Hollywood character walk-on, Elspeth Dudgeon, who has the best role here of her entire Hollywood career of mostly uncredited "old woman" walk-ons. Some may feel that the leads, Hugh Herbert and Allen Jenkins, are too idiotic and far too garrulously stupid, but I thought they were just right both as good comics and as contrasts to the more level-headed players. John Eldredge of course also acts as a stabilizing influence, but wow! People like George Rosener, Brandon Tynan and Eric Stanley have a field day here. Produced by Bryan Foy with superb photography by Arthur L. Todd and really great, highly ingenious sets by Max Parker, this is a marvelous movie in more ways than one. Available on a superb Warner Archive DVD.

Delightfully irreverent variation on the old dark house comedy thriller. This one takes place in and below a lighthouse. The plot is so weird and things are explained then unexplained then explained again that I don't fault someone for thinking it makes no sense. But that's kind of the point. It's such a completely off-the-wall bizarre movie that I can't help but love it. It's totally ridiculous from start to finish. If you're too straight-laced for that, then you'll probably be filled with anger at this unassuming movie that's not even an hour that dared to waste your time. I've read a review or two like that and had to shake my head. What kind of sour puss do you have to be to not at least moderately enjoy, if not outright love, this movie? It's got nice sets, a fun cast, and some good special effects (especially for the time). Allen Jenkins is terrific. Yes, Hugh Herbert is an acquired taste. I get that. I admit I've been annoyed by him in other roles with all of his woo-hooing and fidgeting. But that's usually because he felt out of place in those movies. Here, his shtick is right at home. Just relax, don't take it more seriously than it was intended, and have some fun with it.

Sh! The Octopus (1937) ** (out of 4) Another version of The Gorilla but this time the old dark house is replaced with a lighttower and the gorilla is replaced with an octopus. Veteran character actors Hugh Herbert and Allen Jenkins play wannabe detectives trapped inside a lighttower with several others who are being attacked by the octopus. This version pretty much stays in tact with other versions and the other remake, which followed two years later with The Ritz Brothers and Bela Lugosi. Herbert and Jenkins aren't nearly as obnoxious and they do manage to get some good laughs. The octopus looks very nice and the scene where the killer "transforms" is quite memorable. The film moves at a lightening pace yet for some reason, one I don't know, the 56-minute running time felt overly long. This certainly isn't a bad movie but it's not a good one either.

...this film is downright silly.Being such a fan of Hugh Herbert, I went to great lengths to acquire a DVD of this film and I really wanted to like it, but outside of a few comical moments, I was let down by this film.Hugh Herbert would eventually star in a series of Columbia 2-reel comedy shorts and this film plays much more like one of those Columbia 2-reelers than a feature put out by Warner Bros./First National.It is odd that in such a slipshod production, the special effects are surprisingly well done. Like when they used the remarkable on-screen transition effect mentioned by other reviewers to expose the true identity of the "Octopus". This was only the 4th time I've seen this effect being used in a feature film. (The other three were: The 1935 film "Werewolf of London" where the effect is used on Henry Hull in the very initial portion of his first on-screen transformation into the werewolf, the 1931 version of "Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde" where Fredric March becomes Hyde for the first time, and the 1925 version of "Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ" where the transition effect is used to show a woman being miraculously healed of her leprosy.) Although, a quick review of the career of William McGann, who directed this film, shows that his one nomination for an Academy Award came, not for directing, but for Special Effects (Visual), for the 1946 film "A Stolen Life" starring Bette Davis. So maybe the use of that transition effect in this clunky little film isn't so strange after all. Judging from this film, McGann appears to have been much better at special effects than at directing.Fans of Hugh Herbert or Allen Jenkins will probably find this film worthwhile. I suspect all others are in for a loooong 54 minutes.