The Ape Man (1943)

Interesting facts

The Ape Man is a 1943 American horror film directed by William Beaudine. The film is based on "They Creep in the Dark" by Karl Brown, which was published in The Saturday Evening Post. It stars Bela Lugosi as Dr. James Brewster who is aided by his colleague Dr. Randall. The doctor manages to transform himself into an ape man hybrid and desperately seeks a cure. Brewster believes that only the injection of human spinal fluid will prove effective as a cure. As Randall refuses to help him, Brewster and his captive gorilla seek involuntary donors.

Production

The film was initially announced as The Gorilla Strikes on November 4, 1942. The Ape Man was based on "They Creep in the Dark" by Karl Brown that was published in The Saturday Evening Post. Brown had previously written scripts for Boris Karloff films for Columbia Pictures, such as The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) and The Man With Nine Lives (1940). The film's screenplay was by the film's associate producer Barney Sarecky.

The film was announced initially as having Amelita Ward in the cast. She was replaced with Louise Currie. The production began filming on December 16 and was already re-titled The Ape Man. Currie recalled working on the film, noting how low-budget Monogram Pictures was, stating she had to wear her own clothes for their films as the studio did not have a wardrobe department.

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