The House of Hate

The House of Hate is a 1918 American film serial directed by George B. Seitz, produced when many early film studios in Americas first motion picture industry were based in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

The head of the house of Waldon is mysteriously murdered by a blackcowled killer who has sworn an oath of hate against him and his only heir, a girl who through his death becomes owner of Americas largest munitions factory the Waldon War Works, just after he has arranged for the betrothal of his illegitimate daughter, Pearl, to her cousin, so that the control of the Waldon War Works will remain in the family. Harry Gresham, a young scientistengineer, is in love with Pearl, and she finds out that she regards him more highly than she does her cousin, after the betrothal. Another cousin, Naomi, is in love with Gresham and does her best to block his efforts to win Pearl. With Greshams help, Pearl must fend off repeated, wildly violent and merciless attacks on her life by the masked man throughout the serial. All the living Waldon relatives, including another brother, Ezra, seem to be scheming at one time or another to deprive Pearl of her inheritance, but which, if any of the three, is really the masked maniac who threatens her life? Pearl and Harry receive and investigate mysterious messages from someone who purports to know the identity of the killer, and eventually team up and attempt to infiltrate the underworld, using false identities and enduring literal cliffhanging ordeals in order to try and unmask and defeat the Hooded Terror and his gang of crooks.Like many American films of the time, The House of Hate was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors cut, in Chapter 1, Reel 2, the dagger descending on Waldens back, Reel 3, knocking down motorcycle policeman, and the masked man shooting guard and guard falling in Chapter 2, Reel 1, two intertitles Detective Herrick, the masked man killed two guards and got away and It means that whoever murdered Walden marked Pearl for his next victim, masked man in recess ready to slug guard with gun, Reel 2, the intertitle From the secret passageway comes the Hooded Te

Source: Wikipedia