Mainly noteworthy as the only color picture that genre star Bela Lugosi ever made, "Scared to Death" is a reasonably entertaining comedy-thriller in which various types get together in a spooky house. It's narrated by the corpse of a woman, Laura Van Ee (Molly Lamont), as she tells us how she came to be upon a slab in a morgue. She had married into a rich family (consisting of George Zucco as an eminent doctor, and Roland Varno as his son), and ended up at odds with them, refusing to divorce the son. Then she begins to be terrorized by a mysterious masked face. Also along for the ride are private cop Bill Raymond (Nat Pendleton) and a stereotypical pushy reporter (Douglas Fowley).
Comedy often carries the story for much of the running time, with a little too much screen time given to Pendleton as a dumb lug. He's in fine form, but after a while this viewer began to get tired of the character. The story itself (by Walter Abbott) is convoluted but amusing, with the presence of Lugosi as a hypnotist named Leonide adding to the tension. (And speaking of comedic elements, little person actor Angelo Rossitto has his moments as Leonides' diminutive assistant Indigo.) To tell the truth, while the Cinecolor process (a fairly inexpensive process usually used for low budget Westerns) does give this minor picture a bit of a hook, the movie is pretty routine overall. It's talents like Lugosi (who's clearly enjoying himself) and Zucco that make it as watchable as it is. One interesting touch is to have the terrorized female protagonist NOT be terribly sympathetic.
The bimbo shtick by Joyce Compton (as Fowleys' air head fiancee) wears a little thin, but making up for that is the bright presence of the pretty Gladys Blake as the maid Lilybeth.
"Scared to Death" does offer some fun, especially if you're a fan of Lugosi and/or Zucco.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I could do with a cup of coffee.
Six out of 10.
Comedy often carries the story for much of the running time, with a little too much screen time given to Pendleton as a dumb lug. He's in fine form, but after a while this viewer began to get tired of the character. The story itself (by Walter Abbott) is convoluted but amusing, with the presence of Lugosi as a hypnotist named Leonide adding to the tension. (And speaking of comedic elements, little person actor Angelo Rossitto has his moments as Leonides' diminutive assistant Indigo.) To tell the truth, while the Cinecolor process (a fairly inexpensive process usually used for low budget Westerns) does give this minor picture a bit of a hook, the movie is pretty routine overall. It's talents like Lugosi (who's clearly enjoying himself) and Zucco that make it as watchable as it is. One interesting touch is to have the terrorized female protagonist NOT be terribly sympathetic.
The bimbo shtick by Joyce Compton (as Fowleys' air head fiancee) wears a little thin, but making up for that is the bright presence of the pretty Gladys Blake as the maid Lilybeth.
"Scared to Death" does offer some fun, especially if you're a fan of Lugosi and/or Zucco.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I could do with a cup of coffee.
Six out of 10.