Review of Scared to Death (1947) by Kevin H — 13 Sep 2004

I watched the last Bela Lugosi movie on the 3 movie DVD. It was definatley the cheeziest and my least favorite. It was made in 1947, so it was in color and not as interesting or nice to look at. The story is odd. It's about a woman named Laura who is dead and narrates from the morgue. She was staying with her husband and father in law, who hate her. She's really abrasive and yells constantly and pushes people around. And one point she asks her husband, if he wished he could choke her.

The other characters, are a sassy maid with huge breasts, an X police oficer who was fired because he shot a manakin instead of a real person, Bela Lugosi, as a hypnotist who escaped from a mental institution and a couple, a reporter and his fiancee. The relationship between the reporter and his wife was hard to watch, everytime she spoke he commented on how "stupid" or "dizzy" she sounded. She never noticed, but usually continued on with her story. I kept thinking, "why is she marrying him?" Anyway, for some unexplained reason the main woman, Laura is apparently being stalked by a man wearing a green mask. his eerie face appears lurking in the windows, acompanied by scary music. She locks herself away in her room for most of the movie to try & feel safe. But like every bela Lugosi movie there is a secret passegeway into her room. (cue scary music) The former Police officer had an odd personality as well. He spends the whole movie wanting someone to be murdered so he can become a cop again, and we wasn't too subtle about it. At one point he pushes his way into Laura's room. Here's what he says to her. "All I need is one slightly murdered body, then I can go back to central." and later, "If you were to get murdered and I was to solve your murder case. it would be a big break for my career." Yes this guy was weird. The sassy lady had my favorite line though. ""She was all decked out like she was going to a horse show!" What the hell does that mean? I assumed she thought the other lady looked either overly dresssed or like a slut. Ok they didn't call people sluts back then. hehe.

Oh and Bela was followed around by a midget. This made no sense, this character never spoke or did anything the entire movie. I guess he was there just to be the creepy sidekick.

So the movie predictable ends with Laura being scared to death, and the doctor pronouncing her dead. He turnes to the reporter and delivers his line in the lamest way possible, "She was literally (pause for effect) scared to death." It was a little too goofy for me. But it wasn't terrible.