In THE MURDER IN THE RED BARN, Tod Slaughter plays Squire William Corder, a magistrate who is not at all the successful man he appears to be. Drowning in gambling debts, he must find a way to repay his creditors, and recoup his massive losses. So, Corder decides to marry a rich woman in a hurry.
Uh-oh!
It seems that he's seduced a local maiden in the meantime, and she's had the audacity to get pregnant! Annnd... she's poor! How will he ever get out of this sticky situation? Well, Corder sees only one way out, and it has nothing to do with "doing the right thing". Nope, it's a quick murder and a shallow grave for her! Will Corder be found out before the wedding bells ring?
This movie has Tod Slaughter at his demonic best. It's the first in a line of heinous characters that he would play. All with ghoulish glee! Slaughter never received the notice he deserved, though his over-the-top style is quite remarkable. It's what he brought into film from his days on the stage. This is histrionics as art...
Uh-oh!
It seems that he's seduced a local maiden in the meantime, and she's had the audacity to get pregnant! Annnd... she's poor! How will he ever get out of this sticky situation? Well, Corder sees only one way out, and it has nothing to do with "doing the right thing". Nope, it's a quick murder and a shallow grave for her! Will Corder be found out before the wedding bells ring?
This movie has Tod Slaughter at his demonic best. It's the first in a line of heinous characters that he would play. All with ghoulish glee! Slaughter never received the notice he deserved, though his over-the-top style is quite remarkable. It's what he brought into film from his days on the stage. This is histrionics as art...