Essential Cult Cinema Mirroring the Impact of Mixed Blood: Cult Guide

Dir: Charles Swickard

When Jerry Marston played a sharp business trick on Hop Li, the leader of a Chinese tong, he made the mistake of his life. Jerry never knew what became of one of the Marston twins mysteriously disappearing less than three weeks after the boys were born. So the anxious years passed until his only son Alvin had married and gone abroad on his wedding tour. One evening the butler handed Jerry a package, and at the same time delivered a wireless message telling that Alvin and his bride Edith were arriving on that day's ship from abroad. Marston opened the package. Before him lay a red poppy, a sign of death sent him by Hop Li. When Alvin and his bride reached the house, they found Jerry dying with the red poppy clasped in his hand. Alvin knew enough of Chinese lore to realize that his father had received the tong's death signal and thereafter Alvin lived in the dread of a like warning. On their wedding anniversary, Alvin presented his wife with a string of pearls. That night as Edith lay in bed, she experienced what she thought was a frightful nightmare. Alvin, with leering face, seemed to appear at her bedroom window, enter and try to caress her. The next morning she discovered that her pearls were missing. Alvin assured her that the mystery would soon be cleared up and left for his office. When the man Edith presumed was her husband returned home that evening, his face was dark and leering. When she tried to summon help, he silenced her and then, throwing her pearls at her feet, disappeared. Mystified she summoned Helen and Rex Durant, neighbors. They assured her that Alvin would soon come home safely and as his usual self. When she read in the morning of a crime in Chinatown (the murder of Hop Li, and the burning of his opium den) she connected it with her husband, and his revolting appearance the previous evening. She associated his disappearance with the crime and decided to announce to her friends that her husband had gone to a sanatorium. Several weeks later Rex and Helen Durant came upon Alvin as he was walking aimlessly through the streets. They took him home and told Edith her husband had escaped from the sanatorium. Continuing the deception, she accepted the man as Alvin, but his strange conduct so mystified her that she was mentally tortured. She was convinced that the man was not her husband, but one who strikingly resembled him. One evening the prison siren sounded a screeching alarm. A prisoner had escaped. The sound was so distressing to Mrs. Marston that she pleaded with her companion to take her into the library where the noise might be less acute. While the man and woman were standing near the fireplace under a great Chinese vase, they were startled by a pistol shot. The bullet hit the vase which broke and part of it fell upon the man's head. The shock restored Alvin to his normal mental state. The two turned to the library door and saw a man fall to the floor. Rushing to where he lay. Mrs. Marston recognized the man who had appeared at her bedside and who had returned her pearls. The dying man related that he was Alvin's twin brother whom Hop Li had stolen when but an infant, and had brought him up an opium fiend. His hatred finally conquered him, and he committed the vengeful act of murder of which he has been convicted. Immediately after the guards arrived and found the man dead upon the floor. The picture ends happily with Alvin and Edith restored to connubial felicity.

Dir: Charles Swickard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Scarlet Crystal perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Priscilla Worth, an innocent country girl, goes to the city to visit her aunt, a typical society butterfly, who has sent for her, thinking her child-like simplicity will afford a welcome relief to Vincent Morgan, a wealthy bachelor, and man about town. The plan works well. Vincent marries Priscilla, and takes her on a tour around the world. However, one of his sweethearts, Marie Delys, a vampire chorus girl, resents being cast aside; and after Vincent returns, although he struggles with his better nature, he again succumbs to her charm. Priscilla grieves, but the memory of his love keeps alive her faith. Maxfield Durant, an artist, who painted her portrait when she first came to the city, had also fallen in love with her, but before he declared his love, she accepted Vincent. He advertises for a model who is beautiful, but not of the brazen type, and secures Peggy Lovel, a girl from the slums. Both Vincent, who is having Marie's picture painted, and his friend, Billy Van Duyn, become interested in Peggy. This arouses Marie's jealousy. Priscilla, remembering her portrait, requests Durant to bring it to her. He cannot refrain from showing his great love. Vincent, seeing this, flies into a terrible rage. Priscilla, conscious of no wrong, seeks consolation in the coming of her child. She gazes into a crystal which they brought from Egypt, and views scenes of horror, but her love for her husband renews her faith in him. Durant, unable to longer endure being so near Priscilla, closes his studio and becomes a wanderer. This throws Peggy out of employment, and she goes to Vincent, seeking help for herself and invalid mother. Billy, intoxicated, wants her, but Vincent sends her away, and takes Billie to his home. Peggy, knowing her mother's need of food, returns to Vincent's apartment, where he finds her asleep. As Vincent removes the glass stopper from a bottle of liquor, he sees, as in a crystal; Peggy sacrificing herself, and being sneered at by Billy. She returns home, finds her mother is dead, and takes to drugs to forget her dishonor. Finally she goes to a café where Marie and Vincent are drinking, and falls dead at the foot of the stairs, while Marie stabs Vincent and herself. The horror of this vision awakens Vincent's better nature and he sends Peggy home unharmed. Priscilla, who has been waiting with her baby, sees in the crystal, the fight for Vincent's soul, and when the face of the Christus appears, she knows the victory is won. Soon after, Vincent returns repentant.

Dir: Charles Swickard

Widow Margaret Dennis, unaware of the abusive nature of Oliver Cathcart, agrees to become his wife. Among other cruelties, Cathcart has ruined the Taylor family in a bad business deal, causing the death of Mrs. Taylor, turning Mr. Taylor into a worthless drunk and embittering their son Raymond, who swears revenge on Cathcart. Margaret's son Jim, learning of all this, forces his mother to choose between him and Cathcart. Choosing the latter, Margaret goes to his country estate, where she finally learns her husband's true nature. Nearby live the Taylors. Raymond is courting Cathcart's maid Milly, and when he comes to the estate one day to visit Milly, Margaret pleads with him to send a message to Jim. Meanwhile, Taylor's sister Steve leaves home, seeking adventure. Receiving Margaret's message, Jim arrives and promises to take his mother away the next day. That night, Cathcart is killed, and on Milly's testimony that Jim had been at the house, he is arrested for the crime. Steve, however, hearing of Jim's arrest, returns and testifies that she and Jim shared refuge from a thunderstorm in an old shack on the night of the murder. Robert Shepherd, the estate gardener, then confesses that he killed Cathcart when he found him struggling with his beloved daughter Bess. Jim is finally freed, and Shepherd acquitted on a plea of temporary derangement.

Dir: Charles Swickard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Lair of the Wolf perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

At the death of Count de Beaulieu, his daughter Jeanne learns that her father had been the arch criminal known as The Phantom. The only other person who knew her father's identity was his lieutenant, Franz Leroux, who now demands that Jeanne marry him in return for his silence. She agrees and they go to America where Jeanne meets an old friend, Jane Elliot. Jeanne confides her secret to Jane, and the two decide to flee to Florida. When en route their train is wrecked and Jane killed, Jeanne, in order to protect herself from her criminal husband, assumes Jane's identity. Posing as Jane, she visits the Marstons and falls in love with Henry Marston. Soon after, Leroux arrives and Jeanne is forced to tell her story. While explanations are in progress, one of Leroux's confederates, whom he had double-crossed, kills the criminal. Henry then forgives Jeanne her deception and together they begin a new life.

Dir: Charles Swickard

College student Li Ting Lang is a favorite of his friends until his attentions toward socialite Marion Halstead bring forth protests on all sides. In defiance, Marion announces her engagement to Li Ting Lang. Gradually, she becomes socially isolated and Li, realizing that she will be friendless, releases her from her commitment. Soon after, an emissary to America arrives with instructions to compel Li to return to his native land and administers a drug to Li, who awakens aboard a ship bound for China, while back in America, his friends believe that he has committed suicide. Li arrives in the middle of a revolution and becomes a great military leader. Years later, while visiting the Orient on her honeymoon, Marion sees Li and recognizes him. Venturing to his house, she is followed by one of his enemies who plans to kill the girl and throw the guilt on Li, thereby ruining him. When the plotters arrive, Li defends Marion single handed until a rescue party of his old college chums comes to his aid. After a warm reunion among old friends, Marion departs with her husband, and Li is sadly left alone once again.

Dir: Charles Swickard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Phantom's Secret perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Wealthy young American Carrington O'Connell is traveling Europe with a "social advisor" to become more polished and sophisticated. While stopping at an inn in Switzerland, he is entranced by pretty young Adrienne Le Blanc, whose parents own the inn and in which she entertains travelers. Adrienne falls for him, but his "advisor" warns him against such a socially "unacceptable" relationship, and he reluctantly leaves. Adrienne soon gets a contract with a theatrical agent for appearances at a musical hall in America, where she happens to meet Carrington's wealthy father Michael. Complications ensue.

Dir: Charles Swickard

The picture tells the story of a little Spanish boy who is cast upon the shore of the east coast of Mexico early in the sixteenth century, when Mexico was dominated by the Aztec Indians. Never having seen a white person before, the local natives, a tribe called Tehuans, bring him up as a god and call him Chiapa. When he reaches manhood, Chiapa is given authority over his entire tribe. He falls in love with the priestess, Tecolote, and she yields to his advances although she is quite unworthy of him, and encourages other suitors. Then the Aztecs hear that under the white god the Tehuans are very prosperous, and start forth to conquer them. The Aztec army is under command of Mexitli, the chief general of Montezuma, the Emperor, and having conquered the Tehuans, he carried off Tecolote as his personal slave. Chiapa follows as a spy. In the garden of Montezuma, he is wounded by a guard, but Lolomi, the beautiful daughter of the Emperor, saves him. They fall in love. Meanwhile Mexitli has tired of Tecolote, and now seeks the hand of the Princess Lolomi, who would rather die than have him. As the Emperor gives Mexitli his consent, he tries to get the princess by force, and in doing so discovers Chiapa. Luiapa is sentenced to die at the end of the year on the sacrificial stone. But Lolomi, finding her pleas to her father of no avail, sends word to the Tehuans that their god is captive. An avenging army sweeps down, and there is brought about a sequence of thrilling scenes with a smashing finish.

Dir: Charles Swickard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Li Ting Lang perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Although fond of childhood playmate Marcelle Riley, Luke Halliday, whose father made his fortune as an Arizona miner, becomes engaged to Eleanor Steele, a New York society belle. When Scar Norton arrives from Arizona and discloses that Luke's mother was an Indian, Luke is so traumatized that he breaks his engagement and ventures West to live among his mother's people. About to marry the Indian maiden Mo-Wa, Luke discovers that he cannot go through with the ceremony and retreats to the Settlement of Lost Hope, where he again encounters Scar Norton. Enraged when Scar taunts him over being a half-breed, Luke is about to kill his accuser when Marcelle and her father arrive and prevent him from committing the crime. Returning home with the Rileys, Luke finally realizes that Marcelle's pure love transcends all boundaries of race.

Dir: Charles Swickard

Engineer Bob Durland, a rival of the wealthy Harold Blake for the hand of Alice Randolph, goes to Mexico during its revolution to prevent Morgan Randolph from losing his oil concession. Harold accompanies him, but when the Mexican insurrectionists threaten the two Americans, he becomes frightened and leaves. Upon his return, he reports that while he himself heroically fought off the revolutionaries, Bob died a coward's death, and Alice, believing her true sweetheart to be dead, agrees to marry Harold. Meanwhile, Bob saves Randolph's mines despite several attempts on his life and then returns to the United States, just in time to prevent his girl from marrying the wrong man. After evening the score with Harold in a fight, Bob takes his place beside Alice at the altar.

Dir: Charles Swickard

A friend of Dick Bailey is killed by a mysterious assailant, whom Dick suspects to be Stack, who is in league with the crooked sheriff. Out on a spree Dick swears he will marry the first woman he sees, who happens to be Ruth Hammond, sister of his dead friend, arriving to take charge of the Hammond ranch. Revolted by his rough proposal,she fires him as the Hammond foreman and she proceeds to the ranch. Stack informs her he has purchased the ranch for the payment of the back-due taxes, and she relents and rehires Dick and his friends to aid her in her fight against Stack.