Terror in the Fog
The Wallace Krimi at CCC
Central Cinema Company (CCC) Germany 1963-1964
Eureka! / Masters of Cinema Blu-ray (Regions A or B) $94.95*
For those of us who relish a good boxed set of vintage films that’s loaded with extras, the new Terror in the Fog collection of German thrillers of the 1960s is an astounding discovery, particularly if you’re unfamiliar with the German krimi (“crime”) films of the 1960s. All six films feature mad mystery killers, complex plots, surprising denouements, and perfectly moody, foggy, creepy German cinematography, plus hours of bonus materials to explain the art of the krimi, its relative placement with the concurrent giallo films from Italy and the later American slasher films, and introduce us to the mainly unfamiliar actors (besides Karin Dor, the Queen of Krimi, there’s scarcely a familiar face to anyone but the most dedicated European film connoisseur).
Our story begins with Artur Brauner (1918-2019), a Polish Jew who escaped the Nazis by fleeing with his family to the Soviet Union; after the war, he settled in Berlin and – inspired by Fritz Lang’s films, which were his favorites as a youth – founded the Central Cinema Company to rebuild the German film industry. He quickly discovered that he needed to offset “artistic” pictures and films dealing with the Holocaust with popular audience favorites that paid the bills, and worked to bring expatriate German filmmakers like Curt and Robert Siodmak and, yes, Fritz Lang, home. Lang directed several pictures for him, including the return of a popular Lang character in The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960).
The next name we need to know is Edgar Wallace (1875-1932), a prolific British writer of thrillers whose work was once amongst the most popular in the English language, as well as being translated into 28 languages; while little read today in his native country, his books remain in print and popular in Germany, and it’s estimated that more than 150 of them have been filmed. Wallace’s best-known work is probably his last: the script for King Kong (1933). In 1959, a West German-Danish company, Rialto Films, began adapted Wallace’s novels to the screen with The Fellowship of the Frog to such great success that Brauner decided to hop on the gravy train with an adaptation of a Wallace novel that had escaped the Rialto net, Der Fluch der Gelben Schlange (The Curse of the Yellow Snake).
Which leads us to the next important name, Bryan Edgar Wallace (1904-1971), son of the writer and himself an author of thrillers and mysteries in the vein of his father, although it was really his name that CCC and Artur Brauner wanted for promotional purposes: Wallace the younger didn’t contribute much to the scripts beyond his blessing and prominent billing for publicity.
And now the movies, folks. Terror in the Fog brings together five of the 1963-64 offerings in the CCC Wallace series (which lasted until the early 1970s), along with many hours of bonus material, including a sixth picture, one of the best-known in the series but which was only available in standard definition. (In case you’re wondering, the foggy title of the collection refers to the fact that the films are set in England, despite being filmed in Berlin, and yes, fog and shadows abound.)
Taking them in chronological order:
The Curse of the Yellow Snake (Der Fluch der Gelben Schlange)
1963 Dir. Franz Josef Gottlieb
98 min. / B&W / 1.66:1
Joachim Fuchsberger and Pinkas Braun are estranged brothers vying for their recently deceased father’s fortune, but more importantly battling over an ancient golden snake that purports to have mystical powers and whose ownership results in several unseemly deaths. Werner Peters is excellent as the unscrupulous businessman caught in the middle who is willing to sell off his young niece to the brother that bids the highest in order to secure his fortune. Eddi Arent is the unnecessary comic relief; for some reason, unnecessary comic relief gets shoehorned in to all these films. Doesn’t particularly bother me but I thought I’d mention it.
A wonderful launch to the series. Oskar Scala contributes a very weird electronic synthesizer score, the cinematography by Siegfried Hold is impeccable, and the film grabs you right away: the opening credits, shown over a B&W backdrop showing a murder and the first theft of the snake, are in shockingly bright color.
While suggested as horror films, The Curse of the Yellow Snake and the other offerings in the series are better described as lurid thrillers with some horror trappings – and only a peek of blood (and nudity) occasionally makes its way onscreen.
The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle (Der Würger von Schloß Blackmoor)
1963 Dir. Harald Reinl
89 min. / B&W / 1.66:1
In an impressive British estate (on a set in Germany), Rudolf Fernau is about to be knighted and he couldn’t be any happier – until a masked strangler with an “I know what you did and I want those diamonds you stole” complex starts murdering the Blackmoor help and various family members.
So over the top that late-night TV audiences must’ve fallen off the couch at the goings-on: not only are the victims strangled, but the killer then decapitates them and get this, he brands them with an M in homage to Fritz Lang and get THIS, the clue to the killer is that he’s missing a finger in homage to Hitchcock. I loved this movie! Karin Dor (Miss Brandt in the 007 film You Only Live Twice) is our lovely leading lady, Harry Riebauer is the dashing Scotland Yard inspector and Dieter Eppler is the funny butler, a pastiche of every funny English butler you’ve ever seen onscreen.
Another electronic score by Oskar Sala and delicious cinematography by Ernst W. Kalinke (Creature with the Blue Hand, Mark of the Devil) contribute to a fine, fun Old Dark House mystery. And the improbable place where the diamonds are hidden will make you laugh out loud.
The Mad Executioners (Der Henker von London)
1963 Dir. Edwin Zbonek
92 min. / B&W / 2.35:1
Imagine my delight when the next film turned out to be even better. Criminals acquitted or otherwise untouchable by the law are spirited away in the night, tried by a hooded kangaroo tribunal, and unceremoniously strung up around London by one of Scotland Yard’s own ropes, conveniently pilfered from the famous Black Museum shortly before each trial (stealing things from Scotland Yard is FRIGHTFULLY easy in this picture, there’s simply a staggering amount of ineptitude where the Yard’s security arrangements are concerned). If that’s not enough, we also have a sex murderer making the rounds, and the Yard’s ace detective on the hanging cases is torn between two tasks because his sister was one of the sex fiend’s first victims. And into this mix is a ruddy wanna-be detective who keeps popping up to drop clues and who seems to know more than he tells, and he tells too much in the first place, in a dizzy plotline of murders, suspects, and mayhem.
The top-notch cast this time includes Hansjörg Felmy as the Inspector, Harry Riebauer as his buddy the doctor, Maria Perschy (Man’s Favorite Sport?) as our lovely leading lady, Wolfgang Preiss as the hapless Chief Inspector, Rudolf Forster as the retired judge who really, really enjoyed hanging people during his active days on the bench, and Chris Howland as Gabby Pennypacker, would-be Sherlock, master of disguise and – cabaret singer?!?!
This time, and for the remaining films in the series, the electronic scores are jettisoned for jazzy orchestral arrangements, here by Raimund Rosenberger. Richard Angst is the cinematographer, and we should mention again that while Bryan Edgar Wallace’s name is all over this thing, he had little to do with it.
The Phantom of Soho (Das Phantom von Soho)
1964 Dir. Franz Josef Gottlieb
92 min. / B&W / 2.35:1
Presented in SD
Arguably the finest and perhaps best-known in the series, with an unforgettable villain and a memorable cast of cuckoos. Someone in bright, shiny spangled gloves is leaving stabbed corpses around Soho and thoughtfully putting £100 notes in each victim’s pocket. The murders are centered around a night club of ill repute called the Zanzibar, and there are more weirdos than customers on any given night, including a cranky wheelchair-bound lady who watches the patrons through a magic mirror, her live-in doctor and attendant, a salty sea captain, a nearby nobleman who tends to disappear into the night whenever the Phantom strikes, two key witnesses to the murders, one an old man under the stairs and another a lurker with a strange birthmark; and an Agatha Christie-type writer who presses herself into the murders looking for a good story idea – or are the murders pressing themselves into her?
Much closer to classic Christie or Doyle, as we discover there is indeed a connection between all the victims – but who amongst the suspects connects the devious dots? A wonderful mystery and the smoky theme song, sung in German, will get stuck in your head for days. Richard Angst is back for the cinematography, and the film – even in standard definition – is terrific and, as we learn in the commentary, was indeed inspired by the Christie Miss Marple films of the 1960s.
Dieter Borsche is the Scotland Yard man this time, Barbara Rütting (Town Without Pity) is the writer, and Hans Söhnker is the vanishing Lord. The killer wears a terrifying mask and stills show it was on display throughout the film but the director decided to keep it off-screen until the end. It’ll give you a jolt.
The Monster of London City (Das Ungeheuer von London-City)
1964 Dir. Edwin Zbonek
87 min. / B&W / 2.35:1
Clearly the film makers were intent on ensuring that the series didn’t go stale; this episode is the most outré and creative so far. Someone is recreating the crimes of the notorious Jack the Ripper, and suspicion falls on Hansjörg Felmy (Torn Curtain), an actor playing the Ripper on stage. The drama is driving him insane, but insane enough to kill? A local politician wants to shutter the show, the police are leaving it open as bait for the killer, and the producer loves the publicity, while a shiftless amateur detective and his girlfriend try to crack the case for the reward, even putting her in danger by having her replace a murdered actress on stage. As if that’s not enough, the actor’s girlfriend (Marianne Koch, A Fistful of Dollars) may be the next victim, and she happens to be the politician’s daughter. It’s complicated, and the camerawork (Siegfried Hold is back from The Curse of the Yellow Snake) and direction are impeccable, with the camera sometimes tricking us into thinking we are watching the play when we’re watching “real life,” and vice-versa. Brilliant and engrossing, and it’s set in the same neighborhood as the previous film, with the Zanzibar prominently again on display. My favorite film of the set, and it’s worth noting that there’s probably been no other Ripper film with so little blood in it.
The Racetrack Murders (Das 7. Opfer)
1964 Dir. Franz Josef Gottlieb
93 min. / B&W / 1.37:1
After the dizzying heights of the previous two films in the set, the finale is a little bit of a letdown, a straight whodunnit set at the race track. Gambler Wolfgang Lukschy desperately needs the favorite to lose on Derby Day, and doesn’t care what happens to the horse, but everybody he tries to press into service or who tries to warn Lord Mant (Walter Rilla, The Gang’s All Here), the horse’s owner, seems to end up dead. Lord Mant’s lovely niece Ann Smyrner (a Danish actress known and loved for Reptilicus and Journey to the Seventh Planet), an annoying visiting birdwatcher, a doubly annoying butler, and a triply annoying local clergyman, also figure into the list of prospective suspects and/or victims.
Perhaps this is the weakest film because it is the only one actually based on a Bryan Edgar Wallace book, Murder is Not Enough, published simultaneously with the film (which was called The 7th Victim in Germany, already in use for the Val Lewton classic film so retitled for American audiences). Taken on its own, it’s a nice little film, but we prefer the dark streets of Soho-in-Berlin and masked villains with knives and sparkly gloves to pitchfork murders in a stable. Don’t give up on it, though… the closing scene is a gem!
Bonus Features
Limited Edition Box Set of 2,000 copies that includes hardcase packaging with new artwork by Poochamin and a 60 pg. book featuring an introduction to the Wallace krimi cycle by film writer Howard Hughes, an essay on Edgar Wallace and his son by crime fiction expert Barry Forshaw, and notes on each film by Holger Haase, co-editor of Krimi! magazine
All five films presented in 1080p HD from 2K restorations of the original film elements undertaken by CCC Film; The Phantom of Soho is a bonus feature presented in SD.
Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release, plus optional English dubs for all films in this set, and we sampled those and found them much better than the average dubbing to which we’re accustomed (you know, the kind where Paul Frees plays all the male characters).
New introductions to each film by genre film expert and Video Watchdog founder Tim Lucas
New audio commentaries on The Curse of the Yellow Snake and The Phantom of Soho by Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw
New audio commentaries on The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle, The Mad Executioners and The Racetrack Murders by Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby
New audio commentary on The Monster of London City by Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
Bryan Edgar Wallace: An Era – new interview with Alice Brauner, producer and managing director of CCC Film and daughter of Artur Brauner
Passing the Blade – new video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas exploring the influence of the Wallace krimi on the Italian giallo and the American slasher film
Terror in the Fog – new 84 minute in-depth discussion between film historians Tim Lucas and Stephen Bissette
We listened to and enjoyed all of the commentaries (Kim Newman is a particular favorite whenever he appears); the 84 minute discussion between Lucas and Bissette is an overview of the series but runs with the last film on the set in the background, like a commentary. The most useful bonuses are those introductions by Mr. Lucas, which share vital information on each film’s production without giving away plot points or key scenes. We see too many “introductions” that can’t be watched until after the film runs, but these are spot on.
A highly enjoyable set of thrillers and a more than worthy companion to the recent Dr. Mabuse boxed set.
