The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog



Someone calling themselves “The Avenger” has been killing young, blond women around London. Striking every Tuesday, and leaving his calling card at every crime, the only clue the police have is that he was seen at the site of the last crime with a scarf covering his face.

Meanwhile at the Bunting house, Detective Joe Chandler has just dropped by to visit Daisy Bunting. He’s excited because he’s just been put on the Avenger case, and is confident that they’ll catch the criminal soon, stating that once they do, he’ll finally ask Daisy to marry him. But Daisy only seems mildly interested at the prospect at best. No. She’s much more fascinated by the new lodger who just moved in upstairs the other day. The one who arrived with a scarf covering his face…


But I mean, it is winter so….?

Having already watched a couple of Ripper related movies from the mid-century, I thought it’d be a good idea to start back at the beginning, to one of the very first film’s made that was related to the Ripper.

The Lodger is a silent British thriller film from 1927. It’s based on the 1913 novel of the same name by prolific English novelist Marie Belloc Lowndes, and is the first of what currently seems to be…hang on give me a sec… So far I count 5 film adaptations of her story. Though there were more done for television. Honestly though, I may be kind of cheating by including it this month. Because while the book and subsequent film(s) are based on the crimes of Jack the Ripper, like the movie Jack the Ripper (boy, this is getting confusing…) it’s not actually the story about Jack the Ripper or his specific crimes. Instead it’s its own story surrounding the members of the Bunting family that just so happens to be set during a completely different time when crimes that are loosely related to the historical ones occurred. Because remember this is Britan, and the book was released less than 15 years after the actual murders, and writing a book about the real murders would have most likely been seen to be in very poor taste. But either way, it – and by that I mean both the book and the movie –are largely considered to be the first written AND filmed adaptations referencing the Ripper’s crimes, so I feel it still counts. Plus, it’s the first thriller by Alfred Hitchcock, and one of the nine surviving films from his silent era (three have been lost), so it’s kind of historically significant on two fronts.



Though I can’t help but think that those who see Hitchcock’s name and are expecting to see his specific style of cinema may be… Not necessarily disappointed, per say, but perhaps a bit surprised with this film. Because you have to remember that this is one of the director’s first real movies, so he didn’t have the clout to just do everything he wanted like he would later in his career. So a lot of the film is very much filmed in the very typical “silent film era” style, and if you’ve ever seen a silent movie or two I’m sure you know what I mean. So you can expect a lot of wide-angle room shots filmed primarily from chest or eye height, intermingled with several intent, emotional close-ups of actor’s faces during important moments. But that’s not all the film is comprised of, and if you pay attention you’ll notice he also does work in some very clever angles, including a shot of some of the actors while the camera is looking down from the ceiling, and a particularly nice looking shot looking down through a spiral staircase as you watch the Lodger’s hand as he slowly makes his way downstairs. There’s even another scene involving stairs that could almost be a preliminary cut to a very similar shot in Psycho. Because if you watch enough Hitchcock you know how much he loved scenes involving stairs. So some parts of the movie look strikingly different from many of the other silent films of that period. So if you’re a fan of the director this is a very interesting watch, as you can practically see the beginning evolution of his work.









As for everything else, it’s good of course, but also very standard for the time. The music is nice and suspenseful, but naturally lacks anything like interesting sound effects. The acting is also very good, but again, typical of the time period, with big-time star of the time Ivor Novello pretty much stealing the show. Everyone is very expressive and emotes very well, but that was basically a requirement in those days, so that’s not surprising. And the movie is told at a nice, quick, tension-filled pace that makes the movie feel shorter than it’s stated 90 minutes.



The only real dings one could really argue against the movie, are that there are a few scenes of forced humor with some of the side characters. Which again was quite typical of the time. But the bigger issue is that the film’s ending was changed from that of the book. But that was a studio decision, not a Hitchcock one, as they reportedly didn’t want such a big star such as Novello cast in an… unsavory light, so to speak. But I honestly think the change actually makes the film better. Because while I haven’t read the original story, I have read the synopsis, and with all respect to Ms. Lowndes, if they had stuck with that ending then the movie would have been far more predictable. But instead they add a “twist” that subverts your expectations, which is actually kinda nice.



Overall, I think The Lodger ends up being a very good film. It’s well acted, it looks great (especially after that restoration it got a few years ago) and if you’re a Hitchcock fan you can really see his style start to develop. You can easily see why people were really praising and talking about him after this film came out. So if you’re a fan of his, or you’re into the history of cinema, then this is going to be a must watch. But if you dislike black and white films and think audible dialogue is an absolute must in all your movie-going experiences, then I can’t imagine you’d be too thrilled with this. I don’t know what else to tell you.

The Lodger is available on a variety of streaming services, including currently free on PLEX.

The Lodger is also available on DVD and Bluray, including a release from the Criterion Collection, though their Bluray seems to be more sought after, and thus more expensive. But, as of 2022, The Lodger has entered the public domain, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a bevy of new releases in the next few years or so.

Helpful Links: