Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

GazerRise Fantastic!

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Leofwine_draca A routine but well-staged programmer with the inimitable Boris Karloff as an elderly, mild-mannered scientist who unsurprisingly becomes a homicidal maniac when he uses himself as a guinea pig for a new serum he has developed to prolong life - a serum which, surprise, surprise, contains the blood of a hanged murderer. It's not long before Karloff is growing younger before our very eyes, but he also finds himself becoming possessed by a murderous spirit which causes him to strangle all those who are close friends or relatives. What follows is a string of shocking murders, but at a sixty minute running time it's not long before the police are on the case to hunt Karloff down.The same plot - or at least a variation of it - was already a bit clichéd by the time this movie was made, but that doesn't stop it from being entertaining. There's a good pacing, with no scenes dragging as they tend to do from this period, and at least there are plenty of opportunity for chills and scares thanks to Karloff's performance. Here, Karloff is a tragic monster, a kind of Jekyll and Hyde, and Karloff's sympathetic portrayals of screen villains and monsters were always what he did best; you end up caring for his character, and thus become involved in the movie. BEFORE I HANG is no exception, and Karloff's strong acting makes the whole movie worthwhile; furthermore, as a policeman in the film says, Karloff is the only person to send a chill down one's spine whilst being polite - his understated menace is highly effective, and the scenes in which his whole visage grows locked and his eyes madly staring are great stuff.The supporting cast is a strong one, including genre veterans Evelyn Keyes as Karloff's unsuspecting daughter, and Dracula's own Van Helsing, Edward Van Sloan, as a scientist friend of Karloff's. There are some atmospheric moments to enjoy, my favourite coming when Karloff escapes through the fog, his eyes staring almost luminously in the dark with madness. Plenty of macabre touches and Karloff's commanding performance highlight a minor, but efficient, low-budget horror yarn from a forgotten studio.

preppy-3 Kindly Dr. John Garth (Boris Karloff) is found guilty of a mercy killing and sentenced to hang. While in prison he experiments in trying to find a serum that halts old age. He uses the blood of an executed murderer and tries it on himself. He is then pardoned and finds the serum works...but it turns him into a cold-blooded killer which he has no control over.This is pretty much a forgotten movie and it's easy to see why. It's pretty slow and dull with terrible dialogue and questionable science. Also it's (technically) not a horror movie--it plays more like a melodrama with horrific touches. Wonderful actress Evelyn Keyes is in here too but is given nothing to do. Karloff single-handedly saves this from total disaster. He's just great in his role--he makes the worst dialogue sound like Shakespeare! Also when the killing urge takes over you can actually see the changes in his face and mannerisms and there are also some nice atmospheric scenes at the end. There's a funny lapse in continuity--Keyes finds out by the morning paper about a murderer--but a scene outside the house shows it's night time! This is really only for Karloff fans. I give it a 4.

Scarecrow-88 A scientist devoted to solving the process of aging is convicted of a "mercy killing" and due to hang, granted permission to continue his experiments with colleague Dr. Ralph Howard(Edward Van Sloan, of Dracula fame)in a prison laboratory until his sentence is to be carried out. After developing a serum, and with only a few hours left before facing his hanging, Dr. John Garth(Bortis Karloff)decides to inoculate himself with the use of blood deriving from an executed murderer, with tragic results. Granted a reprieve by the governor with his sentence reduced to life-in-prison, Garth finds that he's actually getting younger, but the blood from the murderer used in the serum which was inoculated in his veins contaminates him with an uncontrollable urge to kill which places innocents in danger. In fact, Garth strangles Howard before a thief enters the lab, with a scuffle killing the man. Garth is considered an innocent harmed in that scuffle when in fact he was the man behind both deaths. Released a free man, his old friends he wishes to inoculate become targets thanks to the inner desire to kill, one by one victims of handkerchief stranglings. Garth will hope to pass on knowledge to his daughter's fiancé Paul(Bruce Bennett)before turning himself in to the proper authorities. But, will he be able to do this before the urge to kill actually threatens the life of daughter Martha(Evelyn Keyes)? Meanwhile, the police suspect Garth might be behind the stranglings and investigate accordingly.Nice little 60 minute B-movie programmer with a fine performance from Karloff as the tragic victim of corrupted blood, an experiment gone awry. Many will find similarities to many films he was making at the time, playing scientists who meant well, falling prey to unforeseen circumstances regarding unusual experiments often rejected by the medical community at large. The "victim of science" theme isn't fresh by today's standards considering so many films have been made since this film concerning scientists/doctors and their attempts to advance the medical field/life through unorthodox means. I think Karloff's sympathetic performance reels in the viewer and the film is nicely produced adhering to the typically blessed Columbia Pictures studio system where even low-budget offerings carried a polished look and style(..see "Cry of the Werewolf" for further proof). Karloff was always adept at portraying characters far older than he was and this ability is used here where he starts out as a man perhaps 60 or so, looking younger as the film continues. You expect nothing less than excellent when Karloff headlines your movie. I relish the fact that there many of these less heralded films in Karloff's resume still left for me to discover. So often we back his career into a corner where he's known for his Universal and Val Lewton films, when there's a plethora of little underrated titles ready for the viewing public.

BaronBl00d Boris Karloff played the benign "mad" scientist whose intentions were good but turn awry better than anyone else. Most of his mad scientists were men put into bad situations by some kind of catalyst beyond their control and Before I Hang is no exception. Karloff plays a doctor brought before a jury for a mercy killing - a man who had been living in terminal pain sought out Karloff's help with hopes that a youth age-suppressing serum he had been working on would help regulate the pain and off-set the aging process. It didn't work and Karloff aided in his assisted death. Karloff is sent to prison but finds that the warden believes in his work and allows him, with the aid of Edward Von Sloan the prison doctor, to work on his serum just weeks before he is to be hanged for his crime. Before I Hang has really quite a preposterous storyline but Boris Karloff breathes life into it rather nicely with a gentle performance edged by a maniacal turn as he injects himself with the serum that has some bad side effects. The other actors are all very good with old Karloff nemesis from Frankenstien Von Sloan doing very well with his rather small, thankless role and Eugene Palette giving a good turn as the warden. Karloff's three old friends are all well-played and Evelyn Keyes as his daughter adequate as is Bruce Bennet as her love interest and Karloff's former assistant. The movie is not particularly fast-paced but the tension does build increasingly with effect. Before I Hang is a rather nice addition to Karloff's Columbia Mad Doctor roles. Perhaps not the best of them but certainly stands strong with the rest of them.