Megs Jenkins

The Monkey’s Paw

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A striking artificial head in the foreground with a narrator speaking

When William Jacobs wrote the short story The Monkey’s Paw in 1902, could he have realised what sort of afterlife it would have? It’s been adapted dozens of times, even more if you count productions that don’t use its original title. This 1948 version is a short and atmospheric rendition of Jacobs’s story, changing the names and some of the details but keeping the central idea intact – a monkey’s paw that will grant three wishes to anyone who is holding it, but which brings a belt of bad luck along with the granting of the wish. For a film that’s only just over an hour long, you might marvel at how much … Read more

Green for Danger

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Inspector Cockrill in black hat

A tightly plotted and nicely played whodunit of the old school, Green for Danger is also British to the core. Set during the Second World War, it was made in 1946, when it was possible to look back at the darkest hour – the Blitz, doodlebugs (the weaponised drones of yore) and all that with half a smile. The plot centres on the death in hospital of a man whose minor operation shouldn’t have killed him at all. Did someone want this local postman dead? If so, why? The medical team who operated on him all look guilty as hell, but all also seem to have plausible alibis. Enter Alastair Sim as Inspector … Read more