Strong and Moving!

So much average

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Compact, entertaining thriller concerning a pompous aristocrat who, following a brief moment of ecstasy with an impressionable young farmer's girl, discovers he's responsible for an unwanted foetus. Tod Slaughter plays the immoral Mr Corder, under financial pressure due to gambling, being threatened by his dalliance now up the duff and in the mood to tell all to her father, who'll surely kill Corder for sullying the family name. What to do but a murder in the red barn.Well told, straightforward without complications or surprises, just a decent little tale (based on a true event) that showcases stage actor Slaughter's adept villainy, and that of younger Eric Portman in one of his first pictures as the chivalrous Gypsy enamoured by Sophie Stewart's damsel in distress. The cast is immaculate and the inimitable producer George King delivers his usual pint-for-a-pound pulling no punches despite limited resources.While it's 1935, there's no disguising the atrocious nature of the title crime, and this element along with Slaughter's portrayal of the corpulent, depraved and cowardly ogre is more than just a little unsettling at times. The scene in which he's goaded to "dig, dig" is quite chilling, and the conclusion thereafter is entirely fitting. Worth a look.

Caddish, but smooth and charming Squire William Corder (a wonderfully lively and aggressive portrayal by Tod Slaughter) is infatuated with lovely, young, but poor Maria Marten (an appealing performance by the fetching Sophia Stewart). Corder makes love to and impregnates her. Corder than murders Maria and hides her body in a red barn so he can wed an unattractive, but wealthy woman in order to pay off his substantial gambling debts. Director Milton Rosner, working from a simple, yet still absorbing script by Randall Faye, relates the engrossing story at a sturdy enough pace, maintains a grim and serious tone throughout, and delivers a tasty depiction of the period rural setting. Of course, Slaughter's galvanizing four-sheets-to-the-wind unrestrained theatrics are a total rip-snorting blast to behold; he plays the supremely odious, sneaky, and duplicitous Corder with a fiendish lip-licking relish that keeps the picture humming throughout. The supporting cast is likewise solid, with stand-out contributions by Eric Portman as Maria's smitten and passionate gypsy suitor Carlos, D.J. Williams as the stern Farmer Thomas Marten, Gerald Tyrell as the dim-witted Timothy Winterbottom, and Ann Trevor as the sassy Nan. The thrilling climax is staged with real flair and the ending concludes on a satisfying note with harsh justice being properly served. George Stretton's primitive, but passable cinematography boasts a few nice fades and dissolves. Leo T. Croke's spare score also does the trick. Worthwhile viewing for Tod Slaughter fans.

George King directs a very enjoyable melodrama starring English horror actor Tod Slaughter. The beautiful Maria(Sophia Stewart)is a farmer's daughter with high expectations of leaving the country and traveling to London. The gypsy Carlos(Eric Portman)is madly in love with the lass, who is also coveted by Squire Corder(Slaughter), who has promised her marriage and a new life of luxury. Maria refuses the advances of the older man and he has no interest in her that she is carrying a child. He takes her to the old red barn used by the community for dances. There he kills her and buries her. The blame of the girl's disappearance is put on the gypsy Carlos. Circumstances and a bit of bad luck is bestowed on the Squire. Other players include: D.J. Williams, Clare Greet and Gerald Tyrell. This movie has been pretty well preserved and an excellent choice for those moments needing a old moody murder mystery.

Tod Slaughter made his name starring as the villains in revivals of hoary Victorian melodramas. In 1935 he enacted one of his most popular roles, that of the actual historical murderer, Squire William Corder, for the screen in MURDER IN THE RED BARN.This is a compelling film. It has the feel and resonance of a folk tale. Despite, or perhaps because of, the all out melodramatic presentation, it is more viscerally involving than many a smoother and more elegantly acted story. The plot has the bite of veracity. Supposedly wealthy Squire William Corder seduces the young and foolish Maria Martin. Heavily in debt due to gambling losses, Corder arranges a marriage to an ugly but rich woman. When Maria informs him she is pregnant and begs him to do the right thing, he promises marriage to trick her into meeting him at the remote red barn, where he murders her and buries her body under the barn's dirt floor.Of course Corder gets his just deserts due to the intervention of Maria's loutish but honest young gypsy lover, her judgmental but regretful father, and a nosy dog. The old fashioned, creaky style of the movie works to its advantage. The murder during a violent thunderstorm and the nighttime discovery of the body are wonderfully atmospheric. Tod Slaughter, of course, dominates the action. He is beyond hammy but try to take your eyes off him while he's on the screen, taking villainy into a whole different dimension. MURDER IN THE RED BARN is a good introduction to Slaughter and I plan to seek out more of his work.