The Curse of the Wraydons

Adapted by director Gover from the play Springheeled Jack, the Terror of London, this is a ridiculously overcooked period melodrama. Slaughter (b. 1885), not as young or nimble as in his Sweeney Todd days, looks a little out of breath as the villain of the piece, a murderous Napoleonic spy with a hatred of all things British. Watching him wobble and roar his way through the film, you can only regret he was never given the chance to work with Ed Wood Jr, the one director who would surely have cherished his pantomime style.