Four years after his silent masterwork Metropolis, Fritz Lang made particularly creative use of sound in this harrowing story of a serial killer (and likely pedophile) of young girls. Peter Lorre is superb as the bug-eyed "monster," a character who almost manages to become sympathetic in the face of his underworld pursuers. Magnificently restored and filled with bells and whistles-audio commentary, a 1963 director interview, a short film, and more-this landmark film is essential for serious collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.