Maria Marten, or the Murder in the Red Barn (1935) User Reviews

Alas, poor Maria.

[chrismartonuk-1 · 6/10 · 10 February 2007]

Many of Tod's melodramas like Maria Marten and The Face at the Window had been filmed numerous times since the dawn of British cinema. But in partnership with quota quickie producer George King, Tod stepped in front of film cameras for the first time to capture his signature role of Squire William Corder on celluloid. A typical 2-week residency at a provincial fleapit by Tod's company would consist of Maria Marten the first week and Sweeney the second.

Milton Rossmer handled directorial chores on this one instead of King and the difference shows. The camera is relatively mobile and seeks a number of interesting angles - especially as it prowls around the red Barn as Tod prepares to shoot the luckless Maria. Production values and period design are relatively high for what is in essence one of the much-derided quota-quickies. Tod is the central figure and a sympathetic, multi-faceted role for all his evil. At the opening barn dance, he is the life-and-soul of the party and ensures that all his guests are enjoying themselves as he cuts a merry caper on the dance floor. The flighty Maria is much taken with him - and who can blame her when the only alternative is the sullen Carlos the Gypsy. Far from being the callow young suitor who normally opposed Tod's leering baddies, Carlos is impulsive and a bit too handy with a knife for comfort. His pursuit of the uninterested Maria verges on stalking and Eric Portman plays him with an authority that matches Tod. The confrontation in the drawing room between the 2 men after Corder has received his dowry is an interesting conflict of two differing acting styles and I had to admire the way Corder was able to signal for help despite been at the mercy of Carlos. Tod Slaughter also demonstrates what a skilled comedy actor he was with some amusing interludes as he loses heavily at dice to a suavely-sleazy Dennis Hoey His facial contortions are a joy, as is his swindling of idiot Tim Winterbottom and his scarcely-concealed repulsion from his intended - the big-nosed Psalmist. By the end of the 30's, Tod's acting style was, even then, regarded as pass? and a bit of a joke. He was often reduced to performing shortened dramatic acts on stage on the ABC cinema circuit. Nonetheless, he kept active throughout his life (American soldiers stationed in Belfast during the war seeing him on stage didn't know what to make of him).

Starring Tod Slaughter himself!!!!

[kidboots · 6/10 · 22 March 2009]

Tod Slaughter is simply fantastic. He bought to the screen, in all it's hammy glory, the old gaslight tradition of gory murder plays where people are encouraged to boo and hiss the villain and, of course, cheer the hero. Even though I had read about Tod Slaughter, I had never seen his films until a couple of years ago. They never take themselves too seriously and even if all the other actors are playing it straight, Tod Slaughter is hamming it up for all he is worth!!!

The film starts off like a play, with all the characters being itroduced by the M.C. - "even Tod Slaughter himself"!!!!Eric Portman was probably the only actor in a Tod Slaughter film to go on to much better things in the next decade. In only his second film appearance, he plays Carlos, the gypsy who loves Maria. The film opens with a barn dance and Maria (Sophie Stewart) is proving herself quite a flirt, as she romances first the Squire and then Carlos. Squire Corder (Tod Slaughter) is told his fortune by one of the gypsies and it doesn't look too bright!!! He is told he will finish at the end of a rope - so he quickly banishes the gypsies from the barn. Later that night Maria visits the Squire and her head is turned with stories of London society.

She often visits the Squire, telling her parents she is at choir practice. They begin to suspect her of being flighty and when she is caught with Carlos, he, seeing her confusion, confesses he is the man she has been seeing. Of course the Squire has no intention of marrying her - she is there as his plaything!!! When he loses his entire fortune at cards, he sets his sight on a wealthy widow. Meanwhile Maria finds out that she is pregnant and when her father throws her out, she goes to Squire Corder for help. He takes her to the Red Barn with promises of marriage - but murders her instead. Unfortunately (for him) in his haste he buries his gun in the grave. Carlos arrives back amid the claims that he was the last person to see Maria. He is determined to bring the evil Squire to justice. The village and the "Bow Street Runners" are on Carlos' trail and he leads them to the Red Barn where the Squire's dog Tiger starts to dig. First his gun is found and then Maria. The scene is set for a typical Slaughter ending as he quickly shows the madness he has been trying to hide.

Highly Recommended.

A bride you shall be ...

[Chase_Witherspoon · 7/10 · 18 June 2012]

Compact, entertaining thriller concerning a pompous aristocrat who, following a brief moment of ecstasy with an impressionable young farmer's girl, discovers he's responsible for an unwanted foetus. Tod Slaughter plays the immoral Mr Corder, under financial pressure due to gambling, being threatened by his dalliance now up the duff and in the mood to tell all to her father, who'll surely kill Corder for sullying the family name. What to do but a murder in the red barn.

Well told, straightforward without complications or surprises, just a decent little tale (based on a true event) that showcases stage actor Slaughter's adept villainy, and that of younger Eric Portman in one of his first pictures as the chivalrous Gypsy enamoured by Sophie Stewart's damsel in distress. The cast is immaculate and the inimitable producer George King delivers his usual pint-for-a-pound pulling no punches despite limited resources.

While it's 1935, there's no disguising the atrocious nature of the title crime, and this element along with Slaughter's portrayal of the corpulent, depraved and cowardly ogre is more than just a little unsettling at times. The scene in which he's goaded to "dig, dig" is quite chilling, and the conclusion thereafter is entirely fitting. Worth a look.

A VICTORIAN MELODRAMATIC FAVORITE

[theowinthrop · 3 November 2004]

Tod Slaughter was able to do one important action as an actor - he put on film a series of the popular "warhorse" melodramas that were the meat and potatos of Victorian theatre way into the 20th Century. He knew these plays and their lead roles by heart, and how the public wanted him to play those villains. And several of the films were based on actual cases.

That is the case with the murder of Maria Marten at the Red Barn in Polstead, England. In 1827 William Corder, the surviving son of a fairly prosperous farmer, had an affair with Maria Marten (the daughter of a mole catcher). She became pregnant, and demanded he do the right thing. After hemming and hawing a bit William agreed to leaving with Maria for their future together. But he insisted she meet him secretly at the Red Barn, and she wear male attire. She did, but she informed her step-mother who watched her head for the Red Barn. Maria was never seen again for the next year. But letters from William, from London, came telling how Maria and he were very happy together.

One day (we are told) Mrs. Marten had a nightmare in which she saw Maria's body in the barn. She insisted her husband look. Mr. Marten did, and in digging up the floor of the barn found Maria's remains. The authorities started looking for Corder, and found he was living in London with a wife, and running a school. He was arrested, brought back to Bury St. Edmunds (the nearest town to Polestead), tried for Maria's murder, and found guilty.

He was executed in 1828.

Did Corder kill Maria? Most criminal historians feel he did, and are impressed at his initial attempt at a perfect crime - but why did it fall apart so easily? However one writer, Donald McCormick, wrote THE RED BARN MYSTERY, and pointed out that there were lots of questionable points in the story. Mrs. Marten's behavior, for instance. Local rumors said she had had an affair with Corder before he turned to Maria. Did the jealous woman suspect Corder's motives about the secrecy and disguise - but if she did, why did she not warn Maria? And if she did why didn't she tell her husband earlier? Did those letters really convince her that Maria was safe, or was her "dream" fake? McCormick suggested a different solution to the murder but it was rather bizaar.

Anyway the film with Slaughter keeps the traditional solution. And he goes to town with it.

A Real Barnstormer In More Ways Than One!

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 12 November 2008]

Melodrama is often associated with noir. One leading example is A. W. Fitzgerald's old Victorian barnstormer, appropriately titled Maria Marten or the Murder in the Red Barn, first filmed with Fitzgerald himself in the lead, way back back in 1902, and re-made by Maurice Elvey in 1913. Tod Slaughter had himself such a grand time in this one on the stage in the 1920s and 1930s, it was a natural for his 1935 film debut in which he was joined by an all-star cast led by the lovely Sophie Stewart in the short-lived title role and Eric Portman as a Romany darkly handsome hero of sorts before he acquired the condescending speech and mannerisms he affected in later roles. Slaughter's acting is so over the top that a Prologue was added to let the audience know that what they were about to see was a stage play. But as it obviously made no difference to Slaughter's popularity, the device was dropped in his subsequent movies.

murder in the red barn

[kairingler · 7/10 · 7 July 2013]

I just found this a joy to watch, first off you have a typical plot of 2 men going for the same girl, but it's different from many other movies because this girl will not live to say who killed her,, she fancies a young Gyspsy, but also an older wealthy gentleman takes a liker to the much younger Maria and is smitten with her, I love the part in the movie where the girl comes home , and she doesn't think that her father is home yet, her mother asks her whats wrong at first the young girl doesn't say , but the all knowing mother get's it out of her, and the young girl starts to confess what's been bothering her,, a man, who she is in love with , but doesn't want her anymore or so she thinks. well then the father walks in just at the right moment and says never-mind I heard everything,, he disowns her .. and kicks her butt to the curb for disgracing the family name... what a lovely movie.. recommend to anyone who likes these old b/w movies.

The Play's the Thing

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 26 February 2009]

"Based upon a true story, a small English town is the setting of a love triangle involving Squire Corder, the gypsy Carlos, and young Maria Marten. While Maria is smitten with Carlos, a roguish gypsy, she has attracted the attention of Squire Corder, a wealthy older man with a liking for younger women. When Maria disappears, after entering the (titled) Red Barn, suspicions fall upon Carlos, thanks to the efforts of Squire Corder," according to the DVD sleeve's revised synopsis.

There is some worth in seeing Tod Slaughter (as William Corder) perform in this old English chestnut, but 1935's filmed version of "Maria Marten, or The Murder in the Red Barn" is far too rough around the edges to recommend very highly. This was Mr. Slaughter's movie star debut; he is enjoyable, but rapport with the camera would grow stronger in future films. Eric Portman (as Carlos) does well as Slaughter's rival. And, Sophie Stewart (as Maria Marten) makes it three British stars rising on screen.

**** The Murder in the Red Barn (1935) Milton Rosmer ~ Tod Slaughter, Eric Portman, Sophie Stewart

Risqué 1930's melodrama.

[michaelRokeefe · 6/10 · 9 February 2009]

George King directs a very enjoyable melodrama starring English horror actor Tod Slaughter. The beautiful Maria(Sophia Stewart)is a farmer's daughter with high expectations of leaving the country and traveling to London. The gypsy Carlos(Eric Portman)is madly in love with the lass, who is also coveted by Squire Corder(Slaughter), who has promised her marriage and a new life of luxury. Maria refuses the advances of the older man and he has no interest in her that she is carrying a child. He takes her to the old red barn used by the community for dances. There he kills her and buries her. The blame of the girl's disappearance is put on the gypsy Carlos. Circumstances and a bit of bad luck is bestowed on the Squire. Other players include: D.J. Williams, Clare Greet and Gerald Tyrell. This movie has been pretty well preserved and an excellent choice for those moments needing a old moody murder mystery.

Dull and occasionally overacted

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 4 June 2021]

Apparently, this story is based on a real murder that occurred in 1827. At the time, the public was really fascinated with the case...so much so that various plays and stories were written about it. The film, interestingly, is told like a play and you see it introduced like a play. And, like a play, the acting is a bit broad and hammy. This might have been acceptable or even expected during the reign of William IV or Victoria, but when seen today it is clearly overacted....especially by Tod Slaughter in the lead. He over annunciates and overdoes many of his lines...to the point where you NEVER forget this is a play or a film. And, as a result, it's very stuffy and dull.

The basic kernel of a story is good and might be worth seeing in a film...but not this one. It's just too obsolete and folks today would blanch at having to see it!

More Melodrama Than Horror But Pretty Good

[Rainey-Dawn · 6/10 · 4 May 2016]

The film is set in the Victorian 1820s in a rural area of England. Maria Marten (Sophie Stewart) is generally a sweet woman but gets herself mixed up with the wrong man with promises of marriage, becomes pregnant and then she comes up missing - murdered.

This one isn't too bad. It's not Tod Slaughter's best film but it's not that bad of a movie. It's Slaughter's first acting role on-screen and he wasn't to bad in it either. The screenplay is kinda bland, decent but bland. The whole film feels like they could have added a darker and more mysterious atmosphere to the Victorian appeal.

I did enjoy this film. Some of the acting is over-the-top and they have some pretty funny lines at times - sometimes seemingly strong language for the time period this was filmed in (1935) which worked in the film's favor.

6/10

Storming the barn for Slaughter!

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 7 October 2014]

Even minus his mustache, British stage actor Tod Slaughter seemed to be twirling it. This predecessor to Snidely Whiplash and Dick Dastardly did everything to innocent young maidens except tie them to a railroad track (probably because his local mercantile was out of rope), and it usually ended with a gruesome demise, both for the maiden he coveted and in the last moments of the film, himself. The fun is in watching his evil get the better of him, knowing that the come-uppance is going to be worth waiting for.

"Murder in the Red Barn" introduced Slaughter to film audiences in the most unusual way. The prologue takes place on a small theater stage (presumably to give the viewer the idea of how intimate these very dramatic productions were) and has a host introducing all the major players in dramatic descriptions with Slaughter, of course, coming out last. Then, the scene switches to a dance in the titled red barn where Slaughter's squire character is established as a charming rogue who has the locals fooled by his graciousness. He switches gears very fast when a gypsy fortune teller predicts his death by hanging after which he gets into an argument with the dashing young gypsy hero (legendary British leading man Eric Portman) over the sweet Sophie Stewart, a farmer's daughter with a touch of class.

An assumed liaison with Slaughter leaves Stewart apparently in the family way (the production code prevented this from being even insinuated), and having gambled away $6000 pounds, Slaughter must marry an aging widow. To avoid having Stewart as a barrier to this, Slaughter arranges to meet her in the red barn where he brutally murders her. He must hide his crime and blames it on Portman, but no villain gets away with their crime for long, and the ironic twist at the end has Slaughter facing his destiny with a definite lack of dignity. There's no punishment greater than guilt for what Stewart's unsympathetic father D. J. Williams must face after tossing her out into the cold which leads to her sad fate.

So poorly photographed that it almost seems like a film made right after the advent of sound, this may not appeal to a vast majority of classic film fans. For the most part, Tod Slaughter wasn't a horror movie star, but a melodrama movie star whose actions were horrific but never supernatural like Karloff or Lugosi. He could be referred to as a "poor man's Charles Laughton" with his portly looks. Ironically, Laughton would play one character straight out of a Tod Slaughter movie, the Hitchcock adaption of "Jamaica Inn" where you really couldn't tell the difference between his character and most of Slaughter's.

Simply Splendid...Simply Slaughter

[BaronBl00d · 10/10 · 30 June 2001]

Of all Tod Slaughter's films, this horror-melodrama about a young girl brought to disgrace by a local squire easily is my favourite. Slaughter plays Squire William Corder, infatuated with a young Maria who is also admired greatly by a roaming gypsy named Carlos(Carlos is very English, however). Squire Corder consentually has his way with Maria, she later becomes pregnant, and Corder kills Maria in the Red Barn to quiet her so he can continue on with his own marriage plans for some much needed capital in order to pay off his gambling debts. Slaughter is a sight for the sorest of eyes. They just do not cut ham this thick anymore! He rolls his eyes, leers, laughs maniacally with the best, and he also has the greatest ability to be totally likable no matter what variety of fiend he plays. At one point in a scene where Maria confronts Corder about needing his help for these very trying circumstances, Slaughter delivers lines like, "No, don't speak" with relish I just have not seen in film very often. Every line Slaughter says seems to come to life and yet we seem to be in on the joke with him. This is a great piece not so much for the mystery...really is no mystery...but simply to watch an actor who should get more credit than he does act like no other. Great fun, great laughs, great Slaughter!

Tragic romantic melodrama

[russjones-80887 · 6/10 · 18 December 2020]

Squire William Corder wins the charms of an innocent country maiden, despite the attention she receives from Carlos, a gypsy. Corder seduces Maria and, after she becomes pregnant by him, he murders her in the red barn before burying her body there.

Decent melodrama set in the 19th Century, with a typically over the top performance by Tod Slaughter, so those familiar with his films will know what to expect. Sophie Stewart is the tragic Maria and there is an early role for Eric Portman as Carlos.

Pretty Average, A Bit Sleepy

[Aegelis · 5/10 · 2 October 2020]

A twist, maybe two at the most. Kind of par for the course in a realm of Hitchcock with plenty of forgettable moments. The opening summarized the whole story so there wasn't much reason to continue watching other than the writing and the acting. Of the two, the writing seemed to need the most help. Satisfying ending in a social justice sort of way, which played more into the viewing audience than perhaps reality, but it is a film made for entertainment after all.

Problem Solved...

[azathothpwiggins · 30 July 2020]

In THE MURDER IN THE RED BARN, Tod Slaughter plays Squire William Corder, a magistrate who is not at all the successful man he appears to be. Drowning in gambling debts, he must find a way to repay his creditors, and recoup his massive losses. So, Corder decides to marry a rich woman in a hurry.

Uh-oh!

It seems that he's seduced a local maiden in the meantime, and she's had the audacity to get pregnant! Annnd... she's poor! How will he ever get out of this sticky situation? Well, Corder sees only one way out, and it has nothing to do with "doing the right thing". Nope, it's a quick murder and a shallow grave for her! Will Corder be found out before the wedding bells ring?

This movie has Tod Slaughter at his demonic best. It's the first in a line of heinous characters that he would play. All with ghoulish glee! Slaughter never received the notice he deserved, though his over-the-top style is quite remarkable. It's what he brought into film from his days on the stage. This is histrionics as art...

Sordid, entertaining melodrama.

[capkronos · 6/10 · 16 August 2014]

Based on the real life "Red Barn Murder" of 1827, which was something of a sensation at the time that led to a well-publicized trial / execution, popular stage plays and even merchandising of murder scene memorabilia (!), this also introduced film-goers to British (over)actor Tod Slaughter, who'd first made a name for himself playing villains on stage before transitioning over to quota quickies, starting with this low- budget effort.

In the small village of Polstead, naive farmer's daughter Maria Marten (Sophie Stewart) is torn between two men; Carlos (Eric Portman) and Squire William Corder (Slaughter). Though Carlos is a gentleman truly in love with Maria, he's also a poor gypsy with low social standing in the community. The Squire, on the other hand, is a respectable magistrate. Maria unwisely chooses the latter option, little realizing the type of guy she's really getting involved with. When she finds herself pregnant, Corder - who has racked up some major gambling debt - rejects her and instead plans to marry a socialite because he'll be getting a large dowry in the process. Maria's father (D.J. Williams) finds out about the pregnancy and kicks her out of the house, forcing her to turn to Corder for help. Instead, he lures her into a barn, shoots her and then buries her. Corder attempts to use Carlos as a scapegoat, but unfortunately he dropped the murder weapon into the grave with the body...

I read up on the real case before watching and this actually does seem to stick with the basic facts, though the motive and certain other details have been altered. The performances are pretty good (Slaughter only hams it up in a couple of isolated scenes) and it's well made; albeit entirely predictable. Instead of the usual medium static shots and long takes typical of most low budget films from this time, this surprisingly has a good number of close-ups shots, which are smoothly edited with the master shots. It's also noteworthy for being a bit seedier than what one would see in most Hollywood productions from the era. The heroine isn't some virginal innocent (though apparently she's depicted here as being much more wholesome than the real Maria), but this also has some dialogue ("You think I'd soil my hands with a common village slut?") that'll have you raising your eyebrows.

Creaky but fascinating old-time melodrama

[398 · 7/10 · 6 May 2008]

Tod Slaughter made his name starring as the villains in revivals of hoary Victorian melodramas. In 1935 he enacted one of his most popular roles, that of the actual historical murderer, Squire William Corder, for the screen in MURDER IN THE RED BARN.

This is a compelling film. It has the feel and resonance of a folk tale. Despite, or perhaps because of, the all out melodramatic presentation, it is more viscerally involving than many a smoother and more elegantly acted story. The plot has the bite of veracity. Supposedly wealthy Squire William Corder seduces the young and foolish Maria Martin. Heavily in debt due to gambling losses, Corder arranges a marriage to an ugly but rich woman. When Maria informs him she is pregnant and begs him to do the right thing, he promises marriage to trick her into meeting him at the remote red barn, where he murders her and buries her body under the barn's dirt floor.

Of course Corder gets his just deserts due to the intervention of Maria's loutish but honest young gypsy lover, her judgmental but regretful father, and a nosy dog. The old fashioned, creaky style of the movie works to its advantage. The murder during a violent thunderstorm and the nighttime discovery of the body are wonderfully atmospheric. Tod Slaughter, of course, dominates the action. He is beyond hammy but try to take your eyes off him while he's on the screen, taking villainy into a whole different dimension. MURDER IN THE RED BARN is a good introduction to Slaughter and I plan to seek out more of his work.

Gloriously old-fashioned murder, Tod Slaughter style

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 30 August 2016]

THE MURDER IN THE RED BARN, sometimes subtitled MARIA MARTEN, is based on the true story of a murder that took place in Suffolk in 1828. It was subsequently adapted for the stage by the Victorians, and in the 20th century Tod Slaughter became popular for his performance as Squire Corder, the villain of the play. With the success of Dracula, FRANKENSTEIN, et all in the early 1930s, some cheapie British producers obviously felt the time was right for some home-grown horror and melodrama, and the play was finally adapted for the big screen. This low budget production is neatly preceded by an announcer introducing all of the actors in the movie, which proves to be a charming reminder of the olden times.

The film itself is a sometimes turgid potboiler that manages to pack quite a lot of detail and incident into a scant one hour running time. To cut the story short, a young village woman shuns her gypsy lover in favour of an older seducer. When her seducer learns she has become pregnant, he murders her, with the rest of the film chronicling the subsequent investigation (by the Bow Street Runners, no less). THE MURDER IN THE RED BARN is cheaply made and impoverished, and the sets and camera-work can't hold a candle to American or German competitors. However, it is entertaining in its own right, with an engaging storyline – forgotten today – and a barnstorming performance from Tod Slaughter, one that was to put him on the movie map and which was to lead to his typecasting as a villain in another dozen or so movies over the next twenty years. Slaughter is an acquired taste, to be sure; he's often hammy, but gives the performance here his all, so he's impossible to dislike; imagine an early Vincent Price or Michael Gough and you'll be halfway there, although Slaughter is all on his own. He's like a throwback, a leftover from yesteryear, an age when silent film and stage actors had to overdo their expressions and overemphasise their lines so audiences could understand what was going on.

The rest of the cast are also surprisingly good, and I can't think of one weak performance. Sophie Stewart is a damsel in distress whom you can root for, while Eric Portman's gypsy hero is always sympathetic. Inspector Lestrade actor Dennis Hoey has fun in a mostly comic supporting role as a gambler who drains Slaughter's money. The first half of the film is quite slowly paced, setting up the plot until the actual murder, but the last twenty minutes is tremendous fun, with people shooting pistols all over the place, Slaughter undergoing a mental breakdown and becoming haunted and mad in equal measure, and a neat conclusion that sees him climbing the gallows. Slaughter's next role was to be his most famous; that of SWEENEY TODD, DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET.

Led to the Slaughter

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 21 February 2007]

Until a few weeks ago, I had never even heard of Tod Slaughter. Now I have got to see three of his films and I absolutely love him. He is the master of pomposity. He has virtually no moral sense. In all three films, he frolics with much younger women. He has no qualms about bumping off anyone that gets in his way. In this film, he is a squire who has run up some sizable gambling debts. He has been wooing a local man's daughter, for obvious reasons. She is even willing to marry him, but he needs money, so, instead, he becomes engaged to the ugly daughter of a rich man. To seal things up, he must kill the attractive young woman and then cover his tracks. No one believes the young gypsy man who figures things out. There is a lot of classism going on. He is one of the haves and the have nots must curtsy to him. When Slaughter is on the screen he is absolutely dominating. I'm now hoping to locate some more. This is a bleak but intense film. The setting is wonderful, in the stultifying country, with its secrets. What a cad!

Tod hamming it up

[Joolz · 9/10 · 30 June 2001]

Tod Slaughter was vastly underrated as an actor. This was his movie debut, at the ripe old age of 50. This movie is just so watchable, even now, some 66 years after it's first release. Tod plays the villainous squire Corder, a man of questionable morals, with a penchant for the young ladies of his locality. Sophie Stewart is the young lady that is drawn to the charms of the smooth-talking squire, oblivious of the attentions of the besotted gypsy Carlos. Alas, it transpires to be her undoing, and the lovely Maria of the title is done to death by that dastardly rogue Corder. The rest of the film is devoted to the eventual unmasking of the killer, and him getting his just desserts for that foul deed. Let's face it, there are so many films from this era that just don't quite stand up to scrutiny by the modern-day viewer, but appreciate this film for what it really is...a melodramatic masterpiece from the late, great N. Carter Slaughter.

The first movie from the great Tod Slaughter

[Red-Barracuda · 8/10 · 23 August 2013]

The stage play of Maria Marten was based on real events and was so extensively performed it was said to be the most frequently performed entertainment in nineteenth century Britain. This maybe goes some way to explain the opening of the movie which not only takes the form of a stage play but also introduces the characters in such a way that it is expected that the audience must know who they are in advance. But what makes this first cinematic sound version of most interest today is that it is the debut film of English actor Tod Slaughter. He was fifty years old by then and had made his name on the stage. He would go on to star in several other dark melodramas over the next few years, always playing a similar villainous character – an elder pillar of the community whose public face is wholesome but his private character is pretty evil and he always seems to be chasing after girls less than half his age. Slaughter is one of the greatly under-appreciated stars of yesteryear. He's a pretty obscure figure nowadays but in every film I have seen he has been an absolute riot to watch. His acting style is very over-the-top but he controls it well. In this film, like all the others, he is the undoubted draw.

In this one Tod plays a squire who has a dalliance with a young farmer's daughter. Although it's never made explicit, it seems that she falls pregnant to him and is thrown out of her home by her sanctimonious father. The nefarious squire isn't suspected though but the girl threatens to blow the whistle on him so he takes her to the red barn one night and murders her and the blame falls on a young gypsy who had eyes for the girl. It's a typical plot-line for a Slaughter vehicle. But it's really entertaining and the period setting adds to the enjoyment too. It moves along at a cracking pace and is never boring. For fans of Slaughter this is a must.

No need to be a cultist to enjoy this film

[le_chiffre-1 · 8/10 · 15 December 2010]

Prior to renting the video of this movie, I had no idea who Tod Slaughter was, why he has a cult following, or exactly what people meant when they said he was "hamming it up". I couldn't have told you the difference between a Victorian melodrama and a Greek tragedy.

Well, after viewing it, I still couldn't tell you what the big deal with Mr. Slaughter is or how this was any more melodramatic than, say, the movies Hitchcock was making at around the same time, but I will say that this movie was well made and thoroughly entertaining, with never a dull moment. You need not be a Tod Slaughter devotee or know a thing about the history of English theatre to enjoy it.

The Murder in the Red Barn reaffirms my belief that movies from the early sound period managed to pack a lot more into their short running times than today's, which have doubled in length. The action in this movie was non-stop.

Other reviewers have stated that this film feels more like a stage play, but I find that many of the films from this period have that feel. There obviously wasn't as wide a gap between the cinema and theatre back then as there is today.

Interesting Story But Not Told Too Well

[Michael_Elliott · 29 February 2008]

The Murder in the Red Barn (1935)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Maria Marten (Sophie Stewart) is torn between Carlos (Eric Portman), a poor gypsy who her father hates and Squire Corder (Tod Slaughter), a man she doesn't really care for but it would be more acceptable to marry him. She chooses the Squire but when he learns that she's pregnant he kills her and hides the body in the red barn.

THE MURDER IN THE RED BARN is the film that introduced the screen world to the one and only Tod Slaughter. This was a rather familiar tale as it was filmed several times during the silent era but Slaughter brought his own over-the-top performance to the role.

The biggest problem with the film is the fact that the British censors were so strict at the time that it would have been impossible to really dig into the story and do it any sort of justice. Quite often things aren't even hinted out so you're basically having to use your own imagination. The story itself is a good one but it's just not fully brought out here.

The film has pretty much been forgotten over the years except for those who enjoy watching Slaughter. The actor is certainly in a league of his own as he overacts incredibly bad but at the same time it's unlike anything you've seen before and on that level it is somewhat entertaining. Both Stewart and Portman are good in their supporting parts.

THE MURDERS IN THE RED BARN certainly isn't a classic or even a good film but it has some mild entertainment to it.

Murderous melodrama from the vaudeville age

[yrussell · 8/10 · 1 June 2020]

This was really entertaining. Tod Slaughter plays the outrageous classical villain who laughs maniacally. This was apparently a very well-known Victorian play, and based on a true story. There's really no spoilers possible because everyone at the beginning of the story knows that Tod Slaughter's character gets an innocent young woman pregnant and then murders her in a red barn (and yes he gets his comeuppance). The pleasure comes from watching the performances.

Slaughter in the Red Barn

[damfinobk · 9/10 · 20 October 2009]

BEWARE: SPOILERS ABOUND!! Not a perfect film, but moments are absolutely incredible. Talk about being ahead of your censors in 1935.

The story is one that the censors at the time probably would not want to have told. An older man (played by Slaughter) has a "one night stand" with a woman who looks at least twenty years his junior (the character of Maria Marten). He promises the young girl marriage, but on the brink of ruin, decides to marry a rich woman instead. A few months later, Maria finds she's pregnant, and unable to hide the fact anymore. Her father reacts, in perfect melodramatic fashion, by turning her out into the streets. Maria forces Slaughter into a compromising position, and what's left to do? But kill her of course! The rest IS the story.

Now, with that behind us, let me say this story is predictable, the direction for the most part is simple, the acting melodramatic, and the sound engineering is sub par. So now you ask yourself, why did I give the film 9/10 rating? The answer is simple: SLAUGHTER. Simply because of his perfect execution of the oft-overlooked performances of magnificent melodramatic villainy.

The scene with the burial of Maria Marten made me realize that George King's lackluster direction may have all been a set-up for this scene. It's not extraordinary, it simply establishes a perfect atmosphere for Slaughter's performance. This scene is only seconded by the "digging up" scene that comes later, where Slaughter really bares his acting chops!

Really worth seeing for Slaughter, but the story, which on the surface is quite simple, really comes to life in the last twenty minutes was left wandering what was coming next. Worth the watch!

9/10 stars!