Films based on works by Edgar Wallace


was a British novelist and playwright and screenwriter whose works have been adapted for the screen on many occasions.

British adaptations

His works were adapted for the silent screen as early as 1915, and continued to be adapted by British filmmakers into the 1940s. Anglo-Amalgamated released a series of 47 features entitled Edgar Wallace Mysteries which ran from 1960 to 1965.

Silent films

This was a series of British second features, produced at Merton Park Studios for the Anglo-Amalgamated production company. There were 47 films in the series, all released between 1960 and 1965.

Harry Alan Towers

produced three Edgar Wallace films in the early 1960s in international co-productions with Germany:
The crime films produced by the German company Rialto Film between 1959 and 1972 form their own subgenre known as Krimis. Other Edgar Wallace adaptations in a similar style were made by the Germans Artur Brauner and Kurt Ulrich and the British producer Harry Alan Towers.

Early history of the German Edgar Wallace movies

As early as the silent movie era, German film producers discovered that the novels of Edgar Wallace were easily adapted to the screen. The first German production of an Edgar Wallace story, Der große Unbekannte, was filmed in 1927. Wallace personally visited the production of the next movie Der rote Kreis in Berlin. The Crimson Circle was trade-shown in London in March 1929 in the Phonofilm sound-on-film system.
In 1931, Carl Lamarc adapted The Squeaker, one of Wallace's best known works, as the sound film Der Zinker. Adaptations of The Ringer by Lamarc and The Double by E. W. Emo followed. From 1934 to the mid-1950s, no German-language films based on works by Edgar Wallace were produced. Then, in the mid-1950s, the German film distributor Constantin Film began plans for a series of films. Due to the perceived unpopularity of the crime genre in Germany at that time, however, no film producer willing to take such a risk could be found.

The 1960s German "Krimi" film movement

In 1959, the Danish company Rialto Film, with its producer Preben Philipsen produced Der Frosch mit der Maske, targeting the German film market. The film turned out to be surprisingly successful and started a veritable fad of crime movies, known as Krimis which lasted until significant changes in the direction of the German film industry in the early 1970s occurred. Rialto soon acquired the exclusive rights to nearly all the Wallace novels, founded a German subsidiary company and, unconcerned by the many copycat productions by others, moved towards the artistic and commercial peak of the series in the first half of the Sixties.
There were 32 Rialto movies. Beginning with the fourth production Der grüne Bogenschütze all were under the artistic supervision of Horst Wendlandt and directed by Alfred Vohrer or Harald Reinl. These are the leading examples of the genre. Following Der Bucklige von Soho, all of Rialto's Krimis movies were in color. Additionally, the original novels were increasingly disregarded in favour of new stories based on motives from the stories. On one hand, this departure made them seem more up-to-date – on the other, the dramaturgy, presentation and content quality levels declined rapidly. From 1969 onwards, Rialto Film started four coproductions with Italian producers to minimise their costs. Audiences increasingly ignored the series, which ended with Das Rätsel des silbernen Halbmonds in 1972.

Style in 1960s "Krimis" films

The typical Krimi movie of the 60s contains a number of distinct stylistic traits, which not only makes the films a true series, but – seen in context with other, similar German crime movies of that time – marks them as part of a true film subgenre as well.
In particular, the two directors Harald Reinl and Alfred Vohrer made their mark. While Reinl preferred long dolly shots /pans and exterior shots, Vohrer's films are known for their slight overacting and their distinct zoom and editing styles. Many of these Edgar Wallace krimis featured secretive, flamboyant, super villains whose faces were sometimes hidden from view, an archetype which would later become a staple of spy films in the mid-to-late 1960s.
The titles, which are usually the German novel titles, were intended to evoke the typical image of an Edgar Wallace movie. Most titles mention the villain, like Der Frosch mit der Maske, Der Zinker and Der Hexer. More abstract titles usually feature the words Rätsel or Geheimnis, for example Das Rätsel der roten Orchidee Das Rätsel des silbernen Dreiecks and Das Geheimnis der grünen Stecknadel, while others hint at the location of the story, for example Der Fälscher von London, Der Bucklige von Soho and Die Tote aus der Themse.
The repeated casting of the same actors, generally for similar roles, is typical for the 60s Wallace movies as well. Among the most popular investigators are Joachim Fuchsberger, Heinz Drache and Siegfried Lowitz. Shady characters were mostly played by Fritz Rasp, Pinkas Braun, Harry Wüstenhagen and especially Klaus Kinski, while comic relief was offered by Eddi Arent, Siegfried Schürenberg and later Hubert von Meyerinck, or even Chris Howland. Additionally, well-known film and stage actors like Elisabeth Flickenschildt, Gert Fröbe, Dieter Borsche, Lil Dagover, Karin Dor and Rudolf Forster repeatedly acted in important guest roles.
The location of the story is, like in the novels, mostly London and its proximity, with the characters mostly moving through old castles, mansions or country houses – even if the real sets were actually in Germany. Seedy night clubs, asylums, dark basements as well as, especially in later movies, girl's colleges and of course Scotland Yard, are popular main and side locations for Edgar Wallace movies.
The stories are very similar across the series as well. The plot is most often centered on one inventively masked main villain. In contrast to thrillers, the most important technique of creating suspense is the "whodunit". This means that it is generally unknown who the villain really is until the end of the movie. The motivations for the crimes are mostly greed, revenge, legacy hunting, and, especially in later movies, white slavery and the drug trade.
Not unlike the later Italian subgenre of Giallo, the Wallace Krimi movies heavily revolve around the work of the police or a private investigator. Another typical feature is the heroine, who has to be protected from the schemes and misdeeds of the villain by the Scotland Yard inspector. This theme is repeated in virtually all Krimi movies and it is not uncommon for the two protagonists to be happily in love at the conclusion of the story.
To make the movies even more recognisable besides the typical introduction, the title sequences were all in color from 1961 onwards, even if the rest of the film was in black and white. There are only two exceptions. Also, in 1962 the voiceover "Hallo, hier spricht Edgar Wallace" was added to the beginning of the title sequence in the German version.
A very distinct trait is the score by Martin Böttcher and especially by Peter Thomas. Three of the four late German-Italian coproductions are even scored by Ennio Morricone. Little is known about the composer Keith Papworth, who scored Das Geheimnis der gelben Narzissen, except that he died in March 1992.

Other Edgar Wallace-type German movies and influences on other works

In the wake of the Edgar Wallace movies, the Krimi genre became a staple of the German filmmaking scene. In addition to those based on the works of Edgar Wallace, are the Artur Brauner-produced Doktor Mabuse and Bryan Edgar Wallace movies such as The Mad Executioners and The Phantom of Soho. Also, the Jerry Cotton and Kommissar X movie series, and the Father Brown and Louis Weinert-Wilton series, are stylistically closely related to the Edgar Wallace movies and fall within the German Krimi genre.
The movies are still very well known in Germany today and there are frequent reruns of them on television – even if a large part of their appeal is their high camp factor. Since the Edgar Wallace style is a stock motive of German filmmaking, there are numerous parodies and spoofs, most recently the 2004 movie Der WiXXer and its 2007 sequel Neues vom WiXXer, making fun of the now-clichéd conventions of the genre.

German Edgar Wallace "Krimi" Filmography (1959–72)

These films were produced by Rialto Film of Germany unless noted otherwise. Where the German title is different from the English one, a translation of the German title is also provided.
YearGerman Film TitleEnglish Release TitleProduced byDirector
1959Der Frosch mit der Maske Face of the Frog Preben PhilipsenHarald Reinl
1960Der rote Kreis The Crimson CirclePreben PhilipsenJürgen Roland
1960Der RächerThe AvengerKurt Ulrich-FilmKarl Anton
1960Die Bande des Schreckens The Terrible People Harald Reinl
1961Der grüne BogenschützeThe Green ArcherJürgen Roland
1961Die toten Augen von LondonThe Dead Eyes of London Alfred Vohrer
1961Das Geheimnis der gelben Narzissen The Devil's Daffodil Ákos Ráthonyi
1961Der Fälscher von LondonThe Forger of London Harald Reinl
1961Die seltsame GräfinThe Strange CountessJosef von Báky
1962Das Rätsel der roten OrchideeThe Puzzle of the Red Orchid Helmut Ashley
1962Die Tür mit den sieben SchlössernThe Door with Seven LocksAlfred Vohrer
1962Das Gasthaus an der Themse 'The Inn on the River CCC-Film/ Artur BraunerFranz Josef Gottlieb
1963Der ZinkerThe SqueakerAlfred Vohrer
1963Der schwarze AbtThe Black AbbotFranz Josef Gottlieb
1963Das indische TuchThe Indian ScarfAlfred Vohrer
1963Zimmer 13Room 13Harald Reinl
1963Todestrommeln am großen FlußDeath Drums Along the River Harry Alan TowersLawrence Huntington
1964Die Gruft mit dem RätselschloßThe Curse of the Hidden VaultFranz Josef Gottlieb
1964Der HexerThe Ringer, aka The Mysterious MagicianAlfred Vohrer
1964Das VerrätertorTraitor's GateFreddie Francis
1964Sanders und das Schiff des Todes Coast of SkeletonsHarry Alan TowersRobert Lynn
1965Neues vom HexerAgain the RingerAlfred Vohrer
1965Der unheimliche MönchThe Sinister MonkHarald Reinl
1966Der Bucklige von SohoThe Hunchback of SohoAlfred Vohrer
1966Das Geheimnis der weißen Nonne The Trygon FactorCyril Frankel
1966Das Rätsel des silbernen Dreieck Circus of Fear Harry Alan TowersJohn Llewellyn Moxey
1967Die Blaue HandCreature with the Blue HandAlfred Vohrer
1967Der Mönch mit der PeitscheThe Monk with the Whip Alfred Vohrer
1968Der Hund von Blackwood CastleThe Hound of Blackwood CastleAlfred Vohrer
1968Im Banne des Unheimlichen The Hand of Power based on the novel The Hand of PowerAlfred Vohrer
1968Der Gorilla von SohoThe Gorilla of Soho Alfred Vohrer
1969Der Mann mit dem GlasaugeThe Man with the Glass EyeAlfred Vohrer
1969Das Gesicht im Dunkeln / A doppia facciaDouble Face Riccardo Freda
1971Der Teufel kam aus AkasavaThe Devil Came from AkasavaCCC-Film/ Artur BraunerJesus Franco
1971Die Tote aus der ThemseThe Body in the ThamesHarald Philipp
1972Das Geheimnis der grünen Stecknadel / Cosa avete fatto a Solange?What Have You Done to Solange? Massimo Dallamano
1972Das Rätsel des silbernen Halbmonds / Sette orchidee macchiate di rossoSeven Blood-Stained Orchids''Umberto Lenzi

Bryan Edgar Wallace movies

Seeking to emulate the success of Rialto Film's Edgar Wallace movies, CCC Film bought the rights to the written works of Edgar's son, Bryan Edgar Wallace. The stories were re-written as they were adapted into movies, but they were still promoted as "B. Edgar Wallace Movies" in the hope that his name would attract a large audience. The following are all CCC Film productions unless otherwise noted.
was marketed in Germany as being based on a story by Bryan Edgar Wallace, but was actually adapted from Fredric Brown's novel, The Screaming Mimi.

Discography