EDITOR’S NOTE: Dark Eyes of London was on Chiller Theater on Saturday, February 10, 1973 at 11:30 p.m., Saturday, February 8, 1975 at 1:00 a.m., Saturday, October 4, 1975 at 11:30 p.m. and Saturday, August 26, 1978 at 1:00 a.m. It played as The Human Monster. 

Dr. Orloff (Bela Lugosi) has quite the scam going. He loans money to people so that they can get life insurance, then drowns them in the Thames and has their money go to the Dearborn Home for the Blind. Of course, Professor Dearborn is also Orloff, as secretary Diane (Greta Gynt) soon learns.

Based on the Edgar Wallace book, which also was made as Dead Eyes of London and The Awful Dr. Orloff in the 1960s, this was the first movie in the UK to get the H rating for horrific. As you may know, Wallace was the father of the krimi, the giallo and King Kong. He was a busy man, who apocryphally would write with both hands while dictating another story to his secretary.

Lugosi’s voice is dubbed by O. B. Clarence as the Professor, so the reveal is pretty good. Also, he was placed into a seven foot deep tank filled with a mix that looked like river mud. He had weights on his ankles so he would stay still and also had a chain to hold on to. You have to admit that this was a pretty horrific stunt for a major star to do. He also had to sail to England to make this, which took some time one assumes.

This was released in the U.S. by Monogram Pictures. I wonder if anyone in the past ever wondered why Dr. Orloff showed up in so many movies?

You can watch this on Tubi.