Alfred Hitchcock once called this the "first true Hitchcock" movie. In addition to being the first in which he explored his favourite theme of the innocent in danger, it also marked his debut before the camera, in one of those celebrated fleeting cameos. This silent thriller, which was clearly influenced by German expressionism, was dismissed as a disaster by the film's distributors, but the critics proclaimed it the best British film made to date. The action is based on a potboiler about Jack the Ripper and the mysterious lodger of the title is played with suitable extravagance by matinée idol Ivor Novello. A truly creepy cast adds to the suspense.