The Climax
The screen's classic of suspense!
1944 | 86m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | George Waggner |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Curt Siodmak, Lynn Starling |
| Staring: |
| Dr. Hohner, theatre physician at the Vienna Royal Theatre, murders his mistress, the star soprano when his jealousy drives him to the point of mad obsession. Ten years later, another young singer reminds Hohner of the late diva and his old mania kicks in. Hohner wants to prevent her from singing for anyone but him, even if it means silencing her forever. | |
| Release Date: | Oct 20, 1944 |
|---|---|
| Director: | George Waggner |
| Writer: | Curt Siodmak, Lynn Starling |
| Genres: | Horror, Thriller |
| Keywords | obsession, opera, murder, based on play or musical, singer, mad doctor, singing, opera house, hypnotism |
| Production Companies | Universal Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2024 Entered: Apr 20, 2024 |
![The Climax (1944) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]](/extra_thumbs/qumd_hEPNmo.jpg)
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Boris Karloff | Dr. Friedrich Hohner |
| Susanna Foster | Angela Klatt |
| Turhan Bey | Franz Munzer |
| Gale Sondergaard | Luise |
| Thomas Gomez | Count Seebruck |
| June Vincent | Marcellina |
| George Dolenz | Amato Roselli |
| Ludwig Stössel | Carl Baumann |
| Jane Farrar | Jarmila Vadek |
| Ernö Verebes | Brunn |
| Lotte Stein | Mama Hinzl |
| Scotty Beckett | The King |
| William Edmunds | Leon, Theatre Concierge |
| Maxwell Hayes | Count Romburg |
| Dorothy Lawrence | Miss Metzger |
| Bella Lewitzky | Dancer (Uncredited) |
| Jack Richardson | Musical Conductor (Uncredited) |
| Polly Bailey | Cleaning Woman (Uncredited) |
| Stuart Holmes | King's Consul (Uncredited) |
| Eddie Polo | Stagehand (Uncredited) |
| Paul Power | Reporter (Uncredited) |
| Ernie Adams | Man in Audience Next to Franz (Uncredited) |
| Gertrude Astor | Woman in Audience Behind Franz (Uncredited) |
| Grace Cunard | Backstage Maid (Uncredited) |
| William Desmond | Backstage Technician (Uncredited) |
| Francis Ford | Backstage Attendant (Uncredited) |
| Louis Payne | Audience Member (Uncredited) |
| Anne Cornwall | Audience Member (Uncredited) |
| Rudy Bowman | Audience Member (Uncredited) |
| William H. O'Brien | Audience Member (Uncredited) |
| Helen Gibson | Audience Member (Uncredited) |
| Maurice Costello | Audience Member (Uncredited) |
| Harry Mayo | Audience Member (Uncredited) |
| Richard Neill | Audience Member (Uncredited) |
| Eric Mayne | Audience Member (Uncredited) |
| Barry Regan | Audience Member (Uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Curt Siodmak | Screenplay, Adaptation |
| George Waggner | Director |
| Jack Pierce | Makeup Artist |
| Edward Locke | Theatre Play |
| Lynn Starling | Screenplay |
| Edward Ward | Music Director, Original Music Composer |
| W. Howard Greene | Director of Photography |
| Hal Mohr | Director of Photography |
| Russell F. Schoengarth | Editor |
| Alexander Golitzen | Art Direction |
| John B. Goodman | Art Direction |
| Russell A. Gausman | Set Decoration |
| Ira Webb | Set Decoration |
| Vera West | Costume Design |
| Charles S. Gould | Assistant Director |
| Bernard B. Brown | Sound Director |
| William R. Fox | Sound |
| John P. Fulton | Visual Effects |
| Harold Zweifel | Orchestrator |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| George Waggner | Producer |
| Joseph Gershenson | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 2 |
| 2024 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 3 |
| 2024 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 3 |
| 2024 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 5 |
| 2024 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 3 |
| 2024 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 3 |
| 2024 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 2 |
| 2024 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Trending Position
A very enjoyable romp from the 40's about unrequited love driving a man to obsession, selfishness and murder, and you really can't go wrong with Boris Karloff, particularly from this vintage. This is especially enjoyable if you're a fan of opera at all. New York City-born director Waggner, most famo ... us for 'The Wolf Man', is decent at this sort of thing, though he got relegated the last phase of his career to TV-work (such as the 60's 'Batman'). Karloff's first colour film (and in Technicolor, no doubt), it's also famous for using the same sets as 'The Phantom of the Opera', made the previous year--the oldest surviving movie set. I came across this in an excellent 5-film pack of Karloff-starred thrillers from the late 30's and early 40's. Both the boxed set and this individual film are highly recommended to fans of the star's work.