Tag Archives: The Lodger

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The Bootleg Files: Room to Let

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BOOTLEG FILES 863: “Room to Let” (1950 British drama inspired by the Jack the Ripper murders).

LAST SEEN: We cannot confirm the last presentation of this film.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On a collector-to-collector label.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: An obscure film that fell through the cinematic cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

Unless you are a scholar of either the Hammer Film Productions canon or cinematic endeavors inspired by the Jack the Ripper crimes, there is an excellent chance that you never heard of the 1950 British film “Room to Let.” And that would be a great shame, because “Room to Let” might be the greatest film you never saw.

In concept, there was little in “Room to Let” to inspire greatness. With a 68-minute running time, the film was never intended to be more than the lower half of a double feature bill in British cinemas. The film’s director, Godfrey Grayson, was not responsible for any work that could be mistaken for a classic. And the film covers territory that was previously plumbed in critically and commercially successful works by Alfred Hitchcock with “The Lodger” in 1927 and John Brahm with “The Lodger” in 1944.
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The Bootleg Files: The Lodger, aka The Phantom Fiend

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BOOTLEG FILES 860: “The Lodger,” also known as “The Phantom Fiend” (1932 thriller starring Ivor Novello and Elizabeth Allan).

LAST SEEN: On several online video sites.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain labels.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A lapsed copyright in the United States.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely as a fully restored production.

During the 1920s, the British film industry was a mostly uninspired environment that failed to match the Hollywood film machine or the silver screen output from France, Germany and the Soviet Union in terms of artistry and commercial appeal. That situation shifted somewhat with the 1927 release of “The Lodger,” an adaptation of Marie Belloc Lowndes’ thriller inspired by the Jack the Ripper murders. Under the direction of the then-unknown Alfred Hitchcock, “The Lodger” was a visually imaginative study in fear and paranoia – and much of its appeal at the time was the against-type casting of matinee idol Ivor Novello as a mysterious figure suspected of being a serial killer.
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