The Tell-Tale Heart (1934 film)

The Tell-Tale Heart is a 1934 British drama film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst.^[1] The screenplay by David Plunkett Greene is based on the 1843 short story of the same title by Edgar Allan Poe. It is the earliest known "talkie" film adaptation of the story.

Plot

A young manservant is driven mad by his obsession with the repulsive diseased eye of an old man who cares for him. He kills his master and hides the remains under the floorboards. When the police investigate the old man's disappearance, the imagined beating of the victim's heart haunts the murderer's thoughts so much that his words and actions arouse the suspicions of the police.

Cast

• Norman Dryden as The Boy
• John Kelt as The Old Man
• Yolande Terrell as The Girl

Production

Produced by Clifton-Hurst Productions (with Harry Clifton as the listed producer^[2]), it was filmed at the Blattner Studios in Elstree, and released in the USA under the title "Bucket of Blood". The film was considered so gruesome that it was withdrawn from some cinemas in the UK.^[3] The cast was mostly amateur (John Kelt had appeared in several silent films) and the dialogue is so sparse that Hurst recalled when interviewed:^[4]

At the big Elstree studios nearby they said "There's a fellow over at Blattner's studio who's making practically a silent picture."

See also

List of horror films of the 1930s

References

External links

• The Tell-Tale Heart at the Internet Movie Database
• The Tell-Tale Heart at the website dedicated to Brian Desmond Hurst