Review: Night Key (1937)
1937's Night Key is considered a minor Universal film, delivering more of a crime story with some loose science fiction elements rather than a typical horror story. Still, it has some things going for it. Boris Karloff, just a few years removed from terrifying the world as Frankenstein's monster, plays a slightly-doddering, grandfatherly inventor who has been wronged by a former business partner. The movie showcases Karloff's range, allowing him to portray a character that's both kind and sympathetic. His Coke bottle glasses are both endearing and also a crutch, so whenever he loses them and is effectively blind, the viewer is naturally concerned for his well-being. Playing Karloff's daughter is Jean Rogers, aka Dale Arden from the Buster Crabbe Flash Gordon serials. While she does serve as a damsel in distress later in the movie, she holds her own as a no-nonsense woman who solidly anchors the B-story and has nearly as much screen time as Boris himself. Movie ...