Louis Hayward, born in South Africa in 1909, made a significant impact in cult cinema with his roles in House by the River (1950) and The Son of Dr. Jekyll (1951). In Terror in the Wax Museum (1973), he delivers a memorable performance that highlights his ability to navigate the eerie atmospheres of horror films. Hayward's career, spanning several decades, reflects the evolution of genre cinema, making his contributions essential to understanding the landscape of mid-20th century cult and exploitation films.
House by the River
The unsuccessful writer Stephen Byrne tries to force his servant Emily Gaunt sexually while his wife Marjorie Byrne is visiting a friend and accidentally strangles her. His crippled brother John Byrne coincidently comes to his house in that moment, and Stephen asks him to help to get rid of the corpse and avoid an scandal, since his wife would be pregnant. The naive and good John helps his brother to dump the body in the river nearby his house. Stephen uses the disappearance of Emily to blame her and promote his book. When the body is found by the police, all the evidences points to John, and he becomes the prime suspect of the murder.
