In the 60s, Universal bought the rights to the pre-50s Paramount library. I don't normally consider these films part of the Universal Horror Cycle. However, occasionally a Paramount film will be shuffled into a collection with legit Universal Monster flicks. This film wound up in the Cult Horror Archive Turner Classic Movies put out a few years ago. Thus, it's inclusion here.
The Pre-Code Paramount horror films, like the previously reviewed "Island of Lost Souls" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," are notorious for their controversial content. "Murders in the Zoo" is no exception. The film starts with Lionel Atwill sewing a man's mouth close. While the actual act is obscured, we see the final results, the man's face dripping with blood, the sutures still raw. The rest of the film continues in this grisly fashion. Atwill plays a big game hunter/zoo owner who uses the animals in his zoo to dispose of enemies. His unfaithful wife and her lovers give him reasons to kill, as do the zoo staff's attempts to investigate the deaths.
There are plenty of sympathetic characters: A snake vet played by a young Randolph Scott, his love interest/lab assistant, and Atwill's terrified wife, played by Kathleen Lloyd, formally Lota the Panther Girl. There's even comic relief in the form of Charlie Ruggles, the zoo's press secretary, a recovering alcoholic terrified of the animals. He is fairly amusing throughout, especially when locked in a cage with a black mamba. Either way, the default main character of the film seems to be Atwill's villain. It is one of his most venomous performances. The opening credits cut from various animals to the cast's face. Lionel is contrasted with a tiger. Indeed, Eric Gorman is a predator, his gaze steely, straight ahead, compassionless and precise, brutal. It's a marvelous performance, seals the movie's horror status, and flows correctly with the frequently brutal violence.
While the cast is great, the rest leaves a bit to be desired. The script has numerous plot holes. Atwill murdering his romantic rival at a fantasizing event for the zoo doesn't seem like a great way to stay in business. Neither is leaving dead bodies in the alligator pit where young children can find them the next day. However, Kathleen Lloyd running from her violent husband into the zoo isn't great planning either. And unleashing all the lions and leopards might be a good way to distract your pursuers, but if it ends badly you've got no one to blame but yourself. Along with the sketchy script, the direction is also somewhat bland and uniform.
It's not surprising that the movie is most remembered for its cruel violence. Alligator swarm onto a body. We see a deadly snakebite in close-up. A man is crushed to death by a boa constrictor. The lion-on-lion violence is genuine, making this an iffy choice for animal lovers. Still, the film has at least two note-worthy sequences. A scene of Lloyd sneaking around her husband's office, Atwill knocking at the door, generates suspense nicely. Near the end, Gail Patrick realizes very quickly that Atwill's intentions are malicious and deals with him accordingly. "Murders in the Zoo" is doubtlessly obscure but there's definitely some gems in here.
The Pre-Code Paramount horror films, like the previously reviewed "Island of Lost Souls" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," are notorious for their controversial content. "Murders in the Zoo" is no exception. The film starts with Lionel Atwill sewing a man's mouth close. While the actual act is obscured, we see the final results, the man's face dripping with blood, the sutures still raw. The rest of the film continues in this grisly fashion. Atwill plays a big game hunter/zoo owner who uses the animals in his zoo to dispose of enemies. His unfaithful wife and her lovers give him reasons to kill, as do the zoo staff's attempts to investigate the deaths.
There are plenty of sympathetic characters: A snake vet played by a young Randolph Scott, his love interest/lab assistant, and Atwill's terrified wife, played by Kathleen Lloyd, formally Lota the Panther Girl. There's even comic relief in the form of Charlie Ruggles, the zoo's press secretary, a recovering alcoholic terrified of the animals. He is fairly amusing throughout, especially when locked in a cage with a black mamba. Either way, the default main character of the film seems to be Atwill's villain. It is one of his most venomous performances. The opening credits cut from various animals to the cast's face. Lionel is contrasted with a tiger. Indeed, Eric Gorman is a predator, his gaze steely, straight ahead, compassionless and precise, brutal. It's a marvelous performance, seals the movie's horror status, and flows correctly with the frequently brutal violence.
While the cast is great, the rest leaves a bit to be desired. The script has numerous plot holes. Atwill murdering his romantic rival at a fantasizing event for the zoo doesn't seem like a great way to stay in business. Neither is leaving dead bodies in the alligator pit where young children can find them the next day. However, Kathleen Lloyd running from her violent husband into the zoo isn't great planning either. And unleashing all the lions and leopards might be a good way to distract your pursuers, but if it ends badly you've got no one to blame but yourself. Along with the sketchy script, the direction is also somewhat bland and uniform.
It's not surprising that the movie is most remembered for its cruel violence. Alligator swarm onto a body. We see a deadly snakebite in close-up. A man is crushed to death by a boa constrictor. The lion-on-lion violence is genuine, making this an iffy choice for animal lovers. Still, the film has at least two note-worthy sequences. A scene of Lloyd sneaking around her husband's office, Atwill knocking at the door, generates suspense nicely. Near the end, Gail Patrick realizes very quickly that Atwill's intentions are malicious and deals with him accordingly. "Murders in the Zoo" is doubtlessly obscure but there's definitely some gems in here.