Locals in an Italian village believe evil has taken over the estate of a recently deceased pianist where murder has taken place. The alleged killer: the pianist's severed hand.
Acting
Peter Lorre's unhinged, twitchy descent into paranoia.
Practical Effects
The crawling hand — charmingly terrible 1940s puppetry.
Score
Brahms' Handel Variations as ominous murder soundtrack.
Director
Robert Florey
Robert Alda
Bruce Conrad [Conrad Ryler in on-screen end credits]
Andrea King
Julie Holden
Peter Lorre
Hilary Cummins
Victor Francen
Francis Ingram
J. Carrol Naish
Police Commissario Ovidio Castanio
Charles Dingle
Raymond Arlington
John Alvin
Donald Arlington
David Hoffman
Ingram's Attorney Duprex
Barbara Brown
Mrs. Miller
Patricia Barry
Clara the Maid
William Edmunds
Ingram's Servant Antonio
Belle Mitchell
Giovanna the Cook
Ray Walker
Edward Miller
Pedro de Cordoba
Sidewalk Cafe Waiter Horatio
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The crawling hand was operated by wires in most shots, but close-ups used a hand-shaped glove moved by a crew member hidden beneath furniture.
This was Warner Bros.' attempt to capitalize on the 1946 hit 'The Beast with Five Fingers' short story boom, though the film's camp tone made it a cult favorite rather than a prestige horror.
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