The Crimson Stain Mystery

The Crimson Stain Mystery is a 1916 American horror film serial directed by T. Hayes Hunter.[1] 11 reels were found in the Dawson Film Find in 1978.[2]

The Crimson Stain Mystery
Film poster; chapter #11
Directed byT. Hayes Hunter
Written byAlbert Payson Terhune and Doty Hobart
StarringMaurice Costello
Ethel Grandin
Distributed byMetro Pictures
Release date
  • August 21, 1916 (1916-08-21)
Running time
16 episodes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent with English intertitles
Advertisement (1916)

Plot

In this serial, Dr. Burton Montrose, a scientist, has developed a formula which he believes will make ordinary people into geniuses. He tests the drug on four subjects and, to his horror, finds that it turns them into compulsive criminals. The resulting band of thieves and murderers is led by the fiendish Pierre La Rue, known as the Crimson Stain for his luminous, red-rimmed eyes. He and his gang terrorize New York City, selecting wealthy victims as targets. They are pursued by Harold Stanley, editor of the Examiner newspaper, who has vowed vengeance for his father's murder. Aiding Stanley are his friend, Robert Clayton, his sweetheart, Dr. Montrose's daughter Florence, and a detective, Layton Parrish. Neither Florence nor anyone else knows the mysterious Crimson Stain to be none other than the doctor himself, driven insane by his own experiments.

The serial was restored by Eric Stedman of the Serial Squadron in 2023, accompanied by the first book publication of the 1916 newspaper novelization.

Cast
  • Maurice Costello as Harold Stanley
  • Ethel Grandin as Florence Montrose
  • Thomas J. McGrane as Dr. Burton Montrose
  • Olga Olonova as Vanya Tosca
  • John Milton as Layton Parrish
  • N.J. Thompson as Jim Tanner
  • Eugene Strong as Robert Clayton
  •  ? as Pierre LaRue

Chapter titles
  1. The Brand of Satan
  2. In The Demon's Spell
  3. The Broken Spell
  4. The Mysterious Disappearance[3]
  5. The Figure In Black
  6. The Phantom Image
  7. The Devil's Symphony
  8. In The Shadow of Death
  9. The Haunting Spectre
  10. The Infernal Fiend
  11. The Tortured Soul
  12. The Restless Spirit
  13. Despoiling Brutes
  14. The Bloodhound
  15. The Human Tiger
  16. The Unmasking

See also

References
  1. "Progressive Silent Film List: The Crimson Stain Mystery". Silent Era. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  2. "Frozen in Time: Looking at the Dawson City Archive Collection, 1913-1919". sc.edu. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  3. archived lobby art; for #4 episode The Mysterious Disappearance
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