It
was one of Vincent Price’s most popular roles in the early 1950s, but he only
performed it on radio. At the height of its fame, French author George G.
Toudouze’s Esquire-published short
story failed to make the transition to film or television, probably because the
hordes of killer rats were too difficult to render properly on screen. However,
Andrew Hamer proves it can be done in 2017. There will be rats in his short
film, Three Skeleton Key (trailer here), which screens
during the 2017 Other Worlds Austin SciFi Film Festival.
The
remote lighthouse is literally welded to a narrow key that becomes entirely
submerged in water during high tide. The surrounding waters are shark infested
and the supply boat only comes once every three weeks. Its sole purpose is to
keep boats off the rocks, but most vessels have the good sense to avoid the rugged
stretch of coastline. However, nobody is navigating the derelict craft about to
founder on the reef—for good reason. It has been commandeered by throngs of
flesh-eating rats.
These
are ships rats, the kind that do not drown. Having reached the rocky
outcroppings, they will swarm onto the key and over the sealed lighthouse. With
no relief scheduled to arrive for weeks, the weary light-keepers must hope and
pray the door and windows will hold up against the scurrying masses.
Hamer’s
film basically teases what presumably could become a full feature film
treatment. Logically, he does not give away the store when it comes to swarming
rats, but he still shows how realistic and scary they can look. He also makes a
few changes from the original story and radio plays. Instead of the French
Guyana coast, it is now set along a desolate stretch of the U.S. Eastern
Seaboard, which probably gives it more commercial appeal, but it makes it harder
to accept the lighthouse’s extreme isolation.
What
does work is complicated friendship between the white Terry Driscoll and the
much-abused African American Andre Rolle, the two laborers on the lighthouse
crew (memorably played by Robert Fleet and Dan White, respectively). It is
definitely not a simplistic buddy relationship, but they are the kind of salt
of the earth who will presumably rise to the occasion when the tower is overrun
with vermin.
Hamer’s
Key is loaded with atmosphere and
first-rate period details. In a mere ten minutes, he rather impressively
establishes a claustrophobic vibe and an ominous sense of foreboding. It is
definitely Poe-like in that respect, but fans of the Vincent Price productions
will miss the taciturn Basque boss Louis, and the high-strung Auguste, whose
self-destruction was predetermined by their respective character flaws.
Although
Toudouze’s 1937 story is still used as an example of a suspenseful tale in
primary English classes here and there, it has largely receded from the popular
consciousness, which is why it is so cool to see Hamer revive it. It would be
great if the short led to a full feature adaptation. Regardless, the short film
version we have now gives viewers a good taste of mid-Twentieth Century
macabre. Recommended for horror fans, Three
Skeleton Key screens this Saturday (12/9) as part of the Under
World Shorts—Evil This Side of the Door programming block at this year’s
Other Worlds Austin.