Despite its poverty-row production budgets, Republic Pictures occasionally turned out an excellent product, and "House by the River" was among the studio's better pictures. An unsuccessful writer, Stephen Byrne, lusts after his wife's new maid and, during an attempted rape, he inadvertently strangles her. When his brother arrives moments after the murder, Byrne convinces him to help cover up the crime and throw the body into the river that flows past his home. Directed by Fritz Lang and photographed by Edward Cronjager, the taut thriller is effectively atmospheric; shadowy patterns, billowing tresses, wafting curtains, dark hallways, dim staircases, silhouetted driftwood, and flowing currents create an ambience ripe for intrigue, murder, and madness. Lang throws in the floating corpse of a cow, a black spider crawling across a sheet of paper, and the eerie croaking of frogs.
Louis Hayward plays Byrne slightly over the top, which emphasizes the man's growing deterioration and descent into madness. Hayward's creepy performance contrasts with the bland normality of Lee Bowman as Byrne's handicapped brother and of his neglected wife, Jane Wyatt. Good support is provided by Ann Shoemaker as a nosy neighbor and Jody Gilbert as an assertive housekeeper to Byrne's brother. Based on a 1921 novel by A.P. Herbert, the story is not a whodunnit, but rather a portrait of the killer's personality and a detailed look at his manipulation of the crime to implicate his brother, stimulate sales of his work, and write a novel about his misdeeds. Films from Republic Pictures are rarely considered classics and often fall below the radar of film buffs; however, "House by the River" deserves better as a well directed, beautifully photographed, effectively written, and competently acted movie.
Louis Hayward plays Byrne slightly over the top, which emphasizes the man's growing deterioration and descent into madness. Hayward's creepy performance contrasts with the bland normality of Lee Bowman as Byrne's handicapped brother and of his neglected wife, Jane Wyatt. Good support is provided by Ann Shoemaker as a nosy neighbor and Jody Gilbert as an assertive housekeeper to Byrne's brother. Based on a 1921 novel by A.P. Herbert, the story is not a whodunnit, but rather a portrait of the killer's personality and a detailed look at his manipulation of the crime to implicate his brother, stimulate sales of his work, and write a novel about his misdeeds. Films from Republic Pictures are rarely considered classics and often fall below the radar of film buffs; however, "House by the River" deserves better as a well directed, beautifully photographed, effectively written, and competently acted movie.