Aug 17, 2025
Maria Marten, or The Murder in the Red Barn (1935)
"Do you think I'm going to sacrifice myself for a common village wench like you?"
"Corder!"
"Didn't I make you a promise, Maria? I promised to make you a bride. Don't be afraid, Maria. You shall be a bride - a bride of Death!"
#maria marten or the murder in the red barn#murder in the red barn#1935#british cinema#tod slaughter#horror film#randall faye#milton rosmer#sophie stewart#d.j. williams#clare greet#eric portman#gerard tyrrell#ann trevor#antonia brough#quinton mcpherson#dennis hoey#stella rho#herbert leonard#george king#the film debut of the inimitable‚ the superlative‚ the indescribable Tod Slaughter#Tod had been thrilling audiences on the stage for a decade by this point but had taken mostly conventional leading man roles until the#start of the 30s‚ when he really found his groove as 'Mr. Murder'. he became a popular sensation‚ as did the lurid‚ gothic melodramas he#was producing (something like a stepping stone between grand guignol and modern true crime obsession). Maria Marten was a prime example#of his craft: a sensational retelling of a real life murder case from 1827‚ with the focus less on the poor victim and more on the maniacal#Squire Corder‚ crazed murderer (Slaughter of course). the play had been a regular part of Tod's theatrical repertoire (altho he'd played#the comic relief village idiot character‚ not the Squire‚ in earlier days). against the gigantic ham that is Tod the rest of the cast don't#get much of a look in‚ altho a very young (and handsome!) Eric Portman does pretty well in a few scenes. it all ends in high drama#naturally enough‚ a brush of morality‚ and i don't think it's spoiling too much to say Mr Murder gets his just desserts#a great fun time of a film‚ although the histrionic drama style might not be to every viewer's taste...
