Sunday, October 10, 2021

Spooktober 10: The Great London Mystery (1920)

 


One of the only surviving stills from British serial The Great London Mystery, a horror/crime/thriller that boasted 12 chapters. British serials were rare, and this 1920 production had a great deal of the "race trappings" that Victorian print serials had, especially in regards to Chinese people.  It starred David Devant, the David Copperfield of his time (Devant, like most stage magicians of the age, was also deeply involved in film exhibition and other forms of projection as well). The serial also had a female co-writer in Hope Loring. It apparently had a number of significant horror elements, including a vampire like character named Froggie no less (!), mutants and a Chinese mad scientist. Despite its racial issues, it is a shame that it has apparently not survived (please don't be fooled by the fake review by a very fake "British" man on IMDb--no one has seen this since before sound came to theaters!). It has been included on several print and video lists as one of the world's most sought after lost horrors.

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