The Crimes of Stephen Hawke (1936)

Tod Slaughter, Britain's first horror star – and still up there with the best – is at his lip-smacking, eye-rolling best in this decent horror offering that plays to his strengths. Directed by George King, who helmed many such pictures, this might not be as well known as SWEENEY TODD but it certainly packs a punch in its story of the 'Spine Breaker', a ruthless murderer essayed by Slaughter, who enjoys breaking the bones of his victims. Seen today, this film is still fairly shocking in places. It opens with the murder of a child, for instance, who we hear getting his spine snapped! From then on, there's a ton of plot packed into a barely hour-long running time. Slaughter sets himself up in a dual role as usual, with his innuendo-laden moneylender and sinister night-stalking killer. Watch out for the script that offers great lines for the actor, like "I'll get to grips with you soon enough" and "I'll be right behind you".Elsewhere there's a one-legged one-eyed hunchback hopping around for some menace, a ménage a trois between Slaughter's daughter, her lover and a creepy/lecherous aristocrat, and a sub-plot that sees our antagonist locked up in jail for nicking bread! Villains are whipped with cat-o-nine-tails, corpses raise beneath their death sheets, and there's a barnstorming climax that sees Slaughter being pursued to the rooftops! The other actors don't really get much of a look in, to be honest; this is Slaughter's film alone, and he makes a real ham of it. You don't see classic overacting like this in modern cinema! He's a real delight and this is one of his most entertaining flicks. As an added bonus, the film seems better for what precedes it: an excruciating comic-radio-duo, Flotsam and Jetsam, who sing for an age, and then the appearance of the infamous 'cats meat' man, a humorous butcher. Sure, it's dated, sure, it's cheap, but it sure is a lot of fun.

In Victorian England there lives a kindly moneylender called Stephen Hawke. But underneath his public mask he is an underhand cad. Aided by his hunchback henchmen, he is also the serial killer known as The Spine Breaker. He is so evil he even begins the movie by murdering a child!This film unusually opens at a BBC radio station, where we are introduced to lead actor Tod Slaughter. We also get a song and, of all things, a comedy butcher act. Slaughter pitches up and speaks briefly about the upcoming movie. I am guessing that this extra material was quite typical of its day where we had cinematic programmes that ran for hours encompassing all manner of things beyond the main feature, such as newsreels, cartoons, etc. Whatever the case, it's a strange way to open the movie now but does offer up a time capsule to an earlier era which is quite interesting.The film itself is one of several British Victorian melodramas directed by George King, starring Slaughter. I have a soft spot for these movies as their lurid plot-lines and period detail make them more interesting than most B-movies from the time. And, most of all, they have the charismatic Slaughter as the villain in the main role. He really is a fun actor to watch and no one chews up the scenery quite like him it has to be said. This one follows a similar template to all the rest of these films where he is a pillar of the community who secretly is a ghastly criminal. While this one is basically the same, I don't think it is among his best. The plot-line is a little too uncoordinated and doesn't make use of Slaughter as well as it could. Nevertheless, it's one that should still appeal to most of his fans and I still liked it.

Todd Slaughter is at it again folks,, this time playing a well -mannered banker by day, and being a father to his adopted daughter , but by night folks he becomes...... wait for it..... the Spinebreaker.. very gruesome killer. he kills the rich I guess because he figures that they don't need it. In the Daytime he plays a successful banker, and he also protects his adopted daughter from a potential suitor whom he doesn't really like that much,, I really liked this one because it moved quickly , there was very good dialogue between the characters, and there was some action and mystery,, very good film for the time period.. and Todd Slaughter continues to shine in this horror film.

By spine, I meant suspense. You know, whom the killer in the first scene and know what's playing out isn't for real. It wasn't scary nor much of a thriller. It's disappointing. It's just didn't stand out, and based on how many bother to watch the movie, it's seem that this movie is nearly forgotten due to that reason. The film isn't even television formatted as the title word card doesn't even fit on the screen. There seems to be a lot of wide shots in the movie that doesn't show everything when watching the DVD on TV. The movie opens at a BBC radio studio, where a variety program is being broadcast. After the singing duo of Flotsam and Jetsom and a comic butcher perform, Tod Slaughter appears as himself to perform a radio play about Stephen Hawkes. By the opening, you can see what is wrong with the film. Rather than building suspense by having the events play out. The movie is telling us that the actor is just acting, and it's just a play. What kind of horror movie starts its movie with upbeat music and a comedy act? Also the movie doesn't go back to the radio studio, that's the last we heard from them. So what was the point that scene? It waste time. Anyways, we are taking back to a period piece set type of a movie where Hawkes like all serial killers, appears to others, a model citizen. A money-lender, he is compassionate and caring toward his clients. In a sick incest way, he's also deeply extremely attentive to his lovely daughter, Julia (Marjorie Taylor). On his free time, he become a killer known as the 'Spine Breaker' who viciously kills his victims in a gory and painful manner for his ability to snap his victim's spines. It was pretty shocking to see a child get killed in this 1936 film by Stephen. It wasn't until WWII that the board of censors would enforced codes for horror movies and banned them if they were too violence. This film manage to escape those codes. Like every horror movie at the time, he is aided by his assistant, a strange hunchback, surprising not name Igor. It's seems like every other scene is him driving Stephen Hawkes place to place to hide from the law and Matthew Trimble (Eric Portman) who vows to hunt him down. Stephen rarely looks scary due to his cowardly ways. He's always on the run in this movie. Once in a while, Todd Slaughter acts scary or creepy by hamming or cheesy sinister laughs, but it felt over the top theatricals from his theater performing days when he was playing Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Murder in the Red Barn, or Crimes at the Dark House. It didn't help the movie that it didn't have much of any music to it. There is long scenes that would have been deeply improve with haunting music. The opening and the ending are the only ones I can remember having such music. It's truly is hard to watch. Slaughter is the only reason to watch any of his films, but I will warn you. It's nearly unwatchable.