Bloodtype Online

    World War II has just ended and Janet Stewart has traveled to meet her husband who is returning home.  The twist is that her husband had been reported dead and she just found out that he had actually spent the war as a POW.  The shock of losing and then getting her husband back has put the woman in a fragile state.  This is further complicated when she witness a murder in an apartment across from her hotel room while waiting on her husband.  Seeing such a terrible event puts her into a catatonic state, which is how her husband finds her.  A specialist is called in to help her and he recommends that she be committed to his clinic for treatment.  The woman wakes to find herself face to face with the murderer, who is the doctor that runs the clinic!  Between the “treatment” and the fact that no one believes her Janet begins to question her own memory.  But before the doctor can get away with his crime the police come around asking questions and he decides that it is better if Janet is done away with.   

    This movie is more film noir than it is horror.  There are a couple of scary/creepy moments, but this is more about the mystery.  The reason that I’ve chosen to review this movie is that it is Vincent Price’s first starring role where he was asked to carry a film.  Price plays the murderous doctor, which also makes this his first really villainous role.  The movie shares the same basic plot as most of the crime dramas of the time.  You have the criminal trying to cover his tracks, a beautiful woman in danger, and lots of melodrama.  The acting in Shock is over the top and melodramatic, which was common up thru the late 50s early 60s when tastes and expectations changed.  The one exception to this is Price, who plays the character as if he was playing one of his romantic roles from earlier in his career.  For me this is what sets his performance apart from everyone else in the movie and makes his villain all that more frightening.   

    Technically the movie is fine, but not impressive.  During the 40s and early 50s Hollywood was churning these movies out like an assembly line.  So these productions were shot quickly and similarly to each other.  So visually this is an unremarkable film that only stands out because Vincent Price is in it.  Also beware because this movie is in the public domain and there are some terrible prints out there.  I was pleased to find a decent looking copy on the Mill Creek 50 movie pack Drive-in, which is quickly becoming the best $20 I ever spent.   

    Be warned that this isn’t an old monster movie and may not appeal to everyone.  I would hate to recommend something to you guys and have you hate it.  But as a fan of Price and a fan of film noir I really liked Shock.  If you are a fan of film noir I can recommend this movie to you and if you want to try something different give this one a shot.   

*This movie is available from Mill Creek Entertainment.  Check them out at http://www.millcreekent.com/ 

Rating - ***

- John “El Juan” Shatzer