The Face Behind the Mask1941
“What fiendish fury turns man into monster?”
Directed by Robert Florey
The premise
A kindly, enthusiastic, newly-arrived American immigrant from Hungary is forced to turn to a life of crime after his face is badly disfigured in a hotel fire.
Horror Vault's take
When a hopeful Hungarian immigrant's dreams of a new life in America are shattered by a devastating fire, the man behind the scarred mask must reinvent himself in the darkest of ways. Peter Lorre delivers a haunting performance as a gentle soul pushed to the criminal underworld, navigating a world that judges him on appearance alone. A noir-tinged horror drama, the film explores how cruelty and circumstance can transform an innocent man into something unrecognizable. Tender and unsettling in equal measure, it lingers long after the credits roll.
Content: Depictions Of Disfigurement, Crime Violence, Themes Of Despair
Cast
Peter Lorre
Janos 'Johnny' Szabo
Evelyn Keyes
Helen Williams
Don Beddoe
Lt. James 'Jim' O'Hara
George E. Stone
Dinky
John Tyrrell
Watts
Cy Schindell
Benson
Stanley Brown
Harry
James Seay
Jeff Jeffries
Warren Ashe
Johnson, Reporter
Charles Cahill Wilson
Chief O'Brien
George McKay
Terry Finnegan
Ernie Adams
Hotel Guest (uncredited)
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