All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

"Der unheimliche Mönch" or "The Sinister Monk" is a German movie from 1965, so it is already over 50 years old. The director is Harald Reinl and he made this one before moving on to Winnetou when Vohrer continued with the Edgar Wallace franchise. This one here is among the earlier German Edgar Wallace film from roughly half a century ago and it also shows because this one is still in black-and-white. Also it has lots of suspense, but the horror aspects from the latter films are missing completely. However, monks (especially with whips) were a famous thing apparently in these films and I must say this one here is not worse than the one about the monk that they made a couple years later in color. Honestly, the antagonist (=title character) is not as foolish in this older version. But unluckily, the story isn't more interesting either and I dare say both films are pretty underwhelming. The comedy aspect is also still missing in this older film here. The most known cast members here are certainly Karin Dor and Ilse Steppat (still a while before her appearance in a James Bond film and untimely death). But sadly, this duo is not good enough either to make this a rewarding watch. I give it a thumbs-down and I am actually glad it only runs for slightly over 80 minutes. Not recommended.

When an old man dies just after making his will, the attorney carrying the will is killed in a car crash and the will is stolen. The will then shows up just before the estate is to be divided. The vultures of the family then scheme to prevent the rightful heir from taking possession of the estate, but a dark monk like figure begins to bump people off. Good Edgar Wallace adaptation is done in by in appropriate Hammond organ music which cuts across the proceedings. The music simply destroys any sense of mood and dread each time its heard. Who's idea was it to use it? It's a shame because this is one of the better later Wallace films. Worth a look if you can discount the music (and a couple of moments –the final death- that are just plain silly)

Gwendolin (Karin Dor) inherited a fortune from her grandfather, but doesn't know it yet. Her greedy relatives try to get her out of the way, but that's not as easy as it seems, when a hooded monk sneaks through the night and kills people with his whip. Is it a ghost, a psychopathic killer, or a man with a secret plan? Harald Leipnitz plays the inspector investigating on this case, whilst one of the most famous inspectors of German TV history, Siegfried Lowitz, plays the villain this time. The 20th movie of the Edgar Wallace series (which began only 6 years earlier with "Der Frosch mit der Maske") was the last one in black & white. Somehow the later color movies didn't have the same atmosphere anymore and ran out of ideas. "Der unheimliche Mönch", however, is spooky, foggy fun and absolutely worthy to close this chapter of the classic series.

This 34 year old german movie probably is not a timeless piece of art, yet it still is very entertaining. Check out the music, too!!!Among the Wallace movie series during the 60s this is one of the best entries.