The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)

78% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
59% of users liked it
(374 ratings)

This movie is an early horror film classic and certainly one that a well-rounded horror movie aficionado should not miss. An invalid concert pianist dies, leaving a will that does not include his personal secretary Hilary Cummins (Peter Lorre) as a beneficiary. Furious, the left-out yes-man cuts off… More This movie is an early horror film classic and certainly one that a well-rounded horror movie aficionado should not miss. An invalid concert pianist dies, leaving a will that does not include his personal secretary Hilary Cummins (Peter Lorre) as a beneficiary. Furious, the left-out yes-man cuts off a hand from the corpse and plots revenge. Unfortunately for Hilary, the hand inherits a life of its own and relentlessly stalks the wild-eyed Lorre as he flees in vain. Special effects keep the audience jumping as they dread the next appearance of this gruesome walking hand. The film is directed by Robert Florey, who also directed Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932). ~ Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 28 min.
Directed By: Robert Florey
Written By: Curt Siodmak
Genres: Classics, Horror

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1946 Wide
On DVD: Sep 30, 1992
Studio: Dominant Pictures Corp.

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
This is fairly spooky despite its silly story and modest budget
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Peter Lorre is so good.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Peter Lorre in one of his best, and one of director Robert Florey's visual and psychological best.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Wastes a captivating original premise and some fine performances with a stiff script and a cop-out ending.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Really creepy showcase for Lorre with a botched ending.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Tim S

Not a fantastic piece of work, but well-written and interesting. Peter Lorre is, of course, the reason to watch the movie - although the ending was really silly and definitely felt tacked on.
Stella D

pretty creepy cool. marred somewhat by a silly ending but lorre is great. it's alive, i tell you, it's alive!
Dr Blood

One of Peter Lorre's best horror roles but very, very dated now. It's easy to confuse this with "Mad Love" as both are about murderous hands. "Mad Love" is perhaps the better of the two movies though this one still has merits as you aren't quite sure… More
One of Peter Lorre's best horror roles but very, very dated now. It's easy to confuse this with "Mad Love" as both are about murderous hands. "Mad Love" is perhaps the better of the two movies though this one still has merits as you aren't quite sure if the disembodied hand is real or not. The ending spoils it all though.
Anthony V

The top of the crawling, severed hand genre.