Juggernaut ** (1936, Boris Karloff, Joan Wyndham, Arthur Margetson) – Classic Movie Review 10,060

Director Henry Edwards’s 1936 British mystery thriller Juggernaut stars Boris Karloff as evil Doctor Victor Sartorius, who plots with greedy Lady Yvonne Clifford (Mona Goya) to kill her rich old husband Sir Charles (Morton Selten) for his money when Sartorius runs out of cash and funding to further his peculiar paralysis experiments. Sartorius is taking over as Sir Charles’s doctor in order to poison him.

Sir Charles’s son Roger (Arthur Margetson) turns up and smells a rat, but now he is in deadly trouble too, that is unless Sartorius’s nice nurse Eve Rowe (Joan Wyndham) can help out.

Juggernaut is a rather dull, unconvincing suspense drama that has promise but fails to hit a high gear. However, Karloff gives a good, creepy turn, one in his long and pretty distinguished gallery of mad doctors, which are always a pleasure to watch.

Also in the cast are Anthony Ireland, J H Roberts, Nina Boucicault, Gibb McLaughlin, Victor Rietti and Wilfrid Caithness.

Juggernaut is directed by Henry Edwards, runs 64 minutes, is made by Julius Hagen Productions, is released by Wardour Films (1936) (UK) and Grand National Pictures (1937) (US), is written by Cyril Campion (adapted for the screen by), H Fowler Mear (adapted for the screen by) and Heinrich Fraenkel (adaptation), based on the novel by Alice Campbell, is shot in black and white by Sydney Blythe and William Luff, is produced by Edward L Alperson (executive producer) and Julius Hagen (producer), and scored by W L Trytel, with Production Design by James A Carter.

It is Karloff’s third film back home in Britain, filmed between 25 April and 6 June 6 1936 just after The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936). He returned to Hollywood for Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936).

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,060

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