The Lodger (1927 Film)

The Lodger, A Story of the London Fog is a 1927 Alfred Hitchcock film based on a Marie Belloc Lowndes novel. The plot revolves around a serial killer who is murdering women in London, a scenario similar to that created by Jack the Ripper in the late 19th Century.

In 2009, the movie The Lodger, inspired by Hitchcock's original film, was released. The remake stars Alfred Molina and Hope Davis in the title roles.

Another fair-haired woman, the seventh on successive Tuesdays, has just been killed by The Avenger, a serial killer who is terrorizing London. Daisy Bunting (June Tripp) is a blonde fashion model. As she discusses the murders with her parents and Joe Betts (Malcolm Keen), a detective who is courting her, a stranger enters their home asking after the room they had advertised as available for rent.

As the new lodger's behavior begins to arouse suspicion in the Bunting family, Betts starts working on the serial killer case.

• Ivor Novello as The Lodger

• Malcolm Keen as Joe Betts

• June (June Tripp) as Daisy Bunting

• Arthur Chesney as Mr. Bunting

• Marie Ault as Mrs. Bunting

Director Alfred Hitchcock usually made fleeting cameo appearances in his films, and the cameos commenced with The Lodger. Three minutes into the movie, he is shown with his back to the camera at a desk in a newsroom. Eighty nine minutes later, he is a spectator as a crowd attempts to assault the Lodger.http://www.filmsite.org/hitchcockcameos2.html

"In spite of his inexperience, Hitchcock demonstrates a flair for building tension and creating an evocative atmosphere. This early silent establishes some of the idiosyncracies he later became famous for, notably his cameo appearances and his fixation on blonde actresses."—Virginie Selavy, Electric Sheep Magazinehttp://www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk/reviews/2008/03/01/the-lodger-a-story-of-the-london-fog/

"Hitchcock uses a few stylish gimmicks, such as a see-through glass ceiling and superimposed flashbacks over a footprint, but it's clear that he was still learning; the story vaguely resembles his beloved "wrong man" formula, but not yet refined."—Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloidhttp://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/classic/lodger27.shtml