Finally saw Fritz Lang's "M"!

Finally saw Fritz Lang's early pre-Hollywood German masterpiece, "M", starring ultra-creepy Peter Lorre as the villain in a twisted performance that would define movie creeps for decades to follow. The boilerplate of weirdo eccentrics and sociopaths. Wow. Checked it out from the NYC library in midtown and was thoroughly impressed. Despite feeling so contemporary in ways, it was released in 1931. Gorgeously filmed in B&W, it is based on the true story of the serail killer Peter Kurten, otherwise known as the "Vampire of Dusseldorf". It is so ahead of its time on many levels, not least of which is the whole "CSI" angle of the criminal investigation and the mob hysteria. Great, early epic and a sign of things to come for Fritz Lang who made his "sound" debut with this scorcher. You know a child killer investigation has gotten out of hand when the city's criminals band to together to stop the murderous fiend before he "ruins their reputations". "Metropolis"" might be better known but "M" gave me the chills. You will never listen to Grieg's, "In the Hall of the Mountain King" the same way again. NOW I know why it has become such an ideal Halloween tune. Scary stuff.