Mini-Review: The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)

IMDb Synopsis.  In a turn-of-the-century Renaissance Italian mansion, its tyrannical owner, a one-handed, wheelchair-bound pianist, with a strong belief in the occult, is murdered.

Classic Horrors Synopsis.  Hilary Cummins (Peter Lorre) is the astrologer for pianist Conrad Ryler (Robert Alda), who is murdered in his Italian villa. When strange things happen afterward, it may be that his haunted hand is the culprit.

Thoughts.  To me, this was like the Scooby Doo version of Mad Love, with a perfectly non-supernatural explanation at the end. I liked Mad Love so much better, though, and Lorre is so much better in it. He's over the top here. And the production is bloated with a complicated set up for what's actually a simple story.

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Written by Curt Siodmak Directed by Robert Florey Starring Robert Alda, Andrea King, Peter Lorre, Victor Francen, J. Carrol Naish US Release Feb. 8, 1947 RT 88 min. Home Video Warner Archive Collection