I’m only peripherally aware that vertical microdramas framed to be viewed on a smartphone are becoming an increasingly popular entertainment choice. I know some vertical entertainment apps exist, Full Moon recently made a vertical thriller called Dungeons of Ecstasy, and when I look over someone’s IMDb credits and see crazy titles like Fall for My Ex’s Mafia Dad, Got Pregnant with Ex-Boss’s Baby, Found a Homeless Billionaire Husband for Christmas, If Loving You Is a Sin Then I’ll Go to Hell, Fallen for My Best Friend’s Dad, Marrying My Ex’s Uncle, Submitting to My Best Friend’s Dad, Submitting to My Ex’s Dad, Pregnant by My Ex’s Dad, or Pregnant with My Brother’s Baby, it’s because they’ve been working in the world of vertical dramas. I never expected to hear that an Alfred Hitchcock classic had been reframed as a vertical microdrama, but that’s exactly what has happened with his 1927 silent film The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog.
The Lodger
The Lodger was Hitchcock‘s third feature film and his first thriller. It was the first film where the legendary filmmaker felt he had true creative control, so he felt it was “the first true Hitchcock movie.”
Here’s the synopsis: When a landlady (Marie Ault) and her husband (Arthur Chesney) take in a new lodger (Ivor Novello), they’re overjoyed: He’s quiet, humble and pays a month’s rent in advance. But his mysterious and suspicious behavior soon has them wondering if he’s the killer terrorizing local blond girls. Their daughter, Daisy (June Tripp), a cocky model, is far less concerned, her attraction obvious. Her police-detective boyfriend (Malcolm Keen), in a pique of jealousy, seeks to uncover the lodger’s true identity.
Vertical Version
Deadline reports that The Lodger has been reframed as a vertical microdrama for the app Tattle TV in “one of the first known instances of a classic feature film being fully reframed for vertical, mobile-first consumption.” While the movie can be viewed in the United States, it’s not available in the United Kingdom or Europe due to IP licensing restrictions.
Tattle TV provided the following statement: “By repurposing British classics like The Lodger, Tattle TV aims to introduce iconic cinema to a whole new generation of viewers, bridging the gap between film history and contemporary mobile audiences.“
Tattle co-founder Philip McGoldrick added, “Tattle TV is an early adopter of cutting-edge AI tools, allowing us to streamline our vertical‑first workflow and bring classic and archival content to mobile audiences faster than ever.“
I don’t really understand the appeal of making things vertical. I will admit that I have watched movies on my phone, but I’ve never had a problem with turning the phone to the side for a widescreen view. The Lodger was 1.33:1 to begin with, so at least it didn’t have to be hacked up to become a piece of vertical entertainment.
What do you think of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger being reframed as a vertical microdrama? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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