''Maria Marten, or The Murder in the Red Barn'' is a 1935 British film melodrama film starring

Tod Slaughter Norman Carter Slaughter (19 March 1885 – 19 February 1956), also known as Tod Slaughter, was an English actor, best known for playing over-the-top maniacs in macabre film adaptations of Victorian melodramas. Early life Slaughter was born o ...

and

Eric Portman Eric Harold Portman (13 July 1901 – 7 December 1969) was an English stage and film actor. He is probably best remembered for his roles in several films for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger during the 1940s. Early life Born in Halifax, ...

. It was directed by

Milton Rosmer Milton Rosmer (4 November 1881 – 7 December 1971) was a British actor, film director and screenwriter. He made his screen debut in '' The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' (1915) and continued to act in theatre, film and television until 1956. I ...

. It is based on the true story of the 1827 Red Barn Murder where a 25 year old mother is shot dead by her lover (Squire William Corder) and her stepmother claims to have dreamt of the murder the night of the event, before the young woman's body was discovered. The film is also known as ''Murder in the Red Barn'' (short UK title). The film is based on the popular 19th-century melodramas about the case and is highly theatrical, with an opening in which all the characters are introduced by a Master of Ceremonies in front of a painted backdrop, but is also slightly more lavishly produced and cinematically inventive than the later films directed by Tod Slaughter's producer

George King George King may refer to: Politics * George King (Australian politician) (1814–1894), New South Wales and Queensland politician * George King, 3rd Earl of Kingston (1771–1839), Irish nobleman and MP for County Roscommon * George Clift King (18 ...

. Slaughter gives a full-throated over-the-top performance in a calculatedly melodramatic style, encouraging the audience to vicariously share in his villainy; this approach became his trademark and gives his films a cult status of their own peculiar kind.

Plot

William Corder seduces then murders innocent country maiden Maria Marten in the red barn before burying her body beneath the barn floor. She gets murdered because she becomes pregnant and too annoying for William. Her gypsy lover Carlos is hunted down as a suspect, but brings Corder to justice.

Cast

as Squire William Corder *

Sophie Stewart Sophie Stewart (5 March 1908 – 6 June 1977) was a British actress of stage and screen. Biography She was born as Sophia Lyal Drummond Stewart in Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland in March 1908 and died in June 1977 at the age of 69, in Cup ...

as Maria Marten * D. J. Williams as Farmer Thomas Marten *

as Carlos, the gypsy * Clare Greet as Mrs. Marten *Gerard Tyrell as Timothy Winterbottom *

Ann Trevor Ann Trevor (1899–1970) was a British actress. Her stage work included the original production of Noël Coward's '' Hay Fever'' at London's Ambassadors Theatre, in 1925. Selected filmography * ''Wuthering Heights'' (1920) * ''Build Thy House' ...

as Nan, the maid * Stella Rho as Gypsey Crone *

Dennis Hoey Dennis Hoey (born Samuel David Hyams, 30 March 1893 – 25 July 1960) was a British film and stage actor, best known for playing Inspector Lestrade in six films of Universal's Sherlock Holmes series. Early life Hoey was born Samuel David ...

as Gambling Winner *Quentin McPhearson as Matthew Sennett *

Antonia Brough Antonia Brough (May 18, 1897 – November 4, 1937) British actress born in Chelsea, London, England; Died in Kensington, England. Selected filmography * ''The Farmer's Wife'' (1928) * ''Under the Greenwood Tree'' (1929) * '' Spanish Eyes'' (1930) ...

as Maud Sennett *Noel Dainton as Officer Steele of the Bow Street Runners

External links

* 1936 films British crime thriller films 1936 crime drama films British black-and-white films Films directed by Milton Rosmer British crime drama films Melodrama films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films {{crime-thriller-film-stub