| Invisible Ghost | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Joseph H. Lewis |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by |
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| Produced by | Sam Katzman |
| Starring | Bela Lugosi Polly Ann Young John McGuire |
| Cinematography |
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| Edited by | Robert Golden [1] |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Monogram Pictures Corp. [2] |
Release date |
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Running time | 64 minutes [1] |
| Country | United States [2] |
| Language | English |
Invisible Ghost is a 1941 American horror film directed by Joseph H. Lewis, produced by Sam Katzman and starring Bela Lugosi.
The home of Charles Kessler is beset by a series of unsolved murders. Kessler, who lives with his daughter and servants since his wife left him, is shown to be the murderer, unbeknownst to himself. His wife, who became brain-damaged in a car accident not long after leaving him, has been visiting the grounds of the house and the sight of her through his window puts Kessler into a trance-like state which makes him homicidal. Ralph Dickson, the fiancée of Kessler's daughter, is convicted and executed for one of the murders. His twin brother Paul arrives and, through a series of events, including Kessler's wife finally entering the house and being seen by others, Kessler is seen to go into the trance and the mystery is revealed.
The film was initially announced in press as Murder by the Stars, and later re-titled The Phantom Killer. [3] Actor Bela Lugosi began his regular work for Monogram Pictures, starting with Invisible Ghost. [4] Lugosi had previously worked with the company in the 1930s with The Mysterious Mr. Wong (1934) and the British film they distributed The Dark Eyes of London . [1] Lugosi was set as the lead in the film, a month in advance than the films supporting players where were signed on a day before production began shooting on March 20, 1941. [3]
Among the crew of the film was Al Martin, who had been working in film since the silent film era, mostly writing subtitles for films. He only wrote a few genre pictures, including The Rogues' Tavern (1936), Trapped by Television (1936), The Mad Doctor of Market Street (1942) and Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957). [5] The films producer, Sam Katzman produced several low-budget features and was described in 1999 by film historian Tom Weaver as predominantly being known for his horror and science fiction film productions decades later. [6] Both photographers Marcel Le Picard and Harvey Gould are credited in the films credits, with only Le Picard receiving credit in the film's pressbook. [1]
Invisible Ghost was released on April 25, 1941. [1] The film was released on blu-ray in March 2017. [7]
From contemporary reviews, Weaver described Invisible Ghost's as getting the "reviews it deserved." [8] The Motion Picture Exhibitor described the film as "complicated and unbelievable" while the New York Post gave the film a "Fair" rating, noting a complex plot and the "buildup of suspense in a horror/drama, is imperfect." [8] The New York Daily News gave the film a one star rating, declaring the film to be a "ghastly bore" finding that Lugosi was "not at his best" and the direction of Joseph H. Lewis was "inadequate". [9] The Los Angeles Times said the film was "head and shoulders above the average horror picture. Its superiority is based on the fact that spine-tickling qualities stem from a psychopathic and psychological situation rather than a purely physical one, imparting a Poe-ish flavour... Lugosi is, of course, superb in his work, being master of all the horror tricks but never overdoing them". [10]
From retrospective reviews, Leonard Maltin's Film Guide awarded two out of a possible four stars, calling it "Better written and directed than most of Bela's 1940s cheapies, but still a far-cry from Dracula ". [11]
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó, known professionally as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian–American actor, best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic Dracula, Ygor in Son of Frankenstein (1939) and his roles in many other horror films from 1931 through 1956.
Night of the Ghouls is a horror film written and directed by Ed Wood. The film was shot between April and May 1958. The film features some reoccurring cast members and characters from Wood's 1955 Bride of the Monster, including Tor Johnson reprising his role of Lobo and Paul Marco again playing the character of Kelton the cop, while the Amazing Criswell plays himself in the frame story of the film. Another returning character is Police Captain Robbins of Homicide, although the character was played by Harvey B. Dunn in Bride, and by Johnny Carpenter in Night.
Joseph H. Lewis was an American B-movie film director whose stylish flourishes came to be appreciated by auteur theory-espousing film critics in the years following his retirement in 1966. In a 30-year directorial career, he directed numerous low-budget westerns, action pictures, musicals, adventures, and thrillers. Today he is remembered for mysteries and film noir stories: My Name Is Julia Ross (1945) and So Dark the Night (1946) as well as his most highly regarded features, 1950's Gun Crazy, which spotlighted a desperate young couple who embark on a deadly crime spree, and the 1955 film noir The Big Combo, with its stunning cinematography by John Alton.
Bela Lugosi (1882–1956), best known for the original screen portrayal of Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1931, performed in many films during the course of his 39-year film career. He appeared in films made in his native Hungary, Germany and New York before re-locating to Hollywood in 1928. Films are listed in order of release.
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Polly Ann Young was an American actress.
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The Invisible Man Returns is a 1940 American horror science fiction film directed by Joe May. The film stars Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, Nan Grey and John Sutton. The film is a sequel to the 1933 film The Invisible Man, and the second film in the Invisible Man film series. The film is about Sir Geoffrey Radcliffe (Price) who is condemned for a murder he did not commit, which leads to him begging Dr. Frank Griffin (Sutton) to inject him with the invisibility serum despite Griffin's warning that the serum will drive him mad.
The Black Cat is a 1941 American comedy horror and mystery film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Basil Rathbone. The film was a hybrid of style: being inspired by comedy "Old Dark House" films of the era as well as the 1843 short story "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe. It stars Basil Rathbone as Montague Hartley, the head of a greedy family who await the death of Henrietta Winslow so that they can inherit her fortune. When she is found murdered, an investigation begins into who might be the culprit. Alongside Rathbone and Loftus, the film's cast includes Hugh Herbert, Broderick Crawford, and Bela Lugosi.
The Invisible Ray is a 1936 American science-fiction horror film directed by Lambert Hillyer. It stars Boris Karloff as Dr. Janos Rukh, a scientist who comes in contact with a meteorite composed of an element known as "Radium X". After exposure to its rays begins to make him glow in the dark, his touch becomes deadly, and he begins to be slowly driven mad. Alongside Karloff, the film's cast includes Bela Lugosi, Frances Drake, Frank Lawton, Walter Kingsford, Beulah Bondi, Violet Kemble Cooper, and Nydia Westman.
The Ghost of Frankenstein is a 1942 American horror film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi. It is the fourth film in the Frankenstein series by Universal Pictures, and the follow-up to Son of Frankenstein (1939). The film's plot follows the previous film's: Frankenstein's Monster and his companion Ygor are chased out of town. They go to another small town to encourage the younger son of Henry Frankenstein to continue his father's experiments, so that Ygor can have revenge against his enemies and his brain transplanted into the Monster's skull.
The Raven is a 1935 American horror film directed by Louis Friedlander and starring Boris Karloff and Béla Lugosi. Billed as having been "suggested by" Edgar Allan Poe's 1845 poem of the same title, excerpts of which are quoted at a few points in the film, it was adapted from an original screenplay by David Boehm. Lugosi stars as a neurosurgeon obsessed with Poe who has a torture chamber in his basement, and Karloff plays an escaped murderer on the run from the police who Lugosi manipulates into doing his dirty work.
Murders in the Rue Morgue is a 1932 American horror film directed by Robert Florey, based on Edgar Allan Poe's 1841 short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". The plot is about Doctor Mirakle, a carnival sideshow entertainer and scientist who kidnaps Parisian women to mix their blood with that of his gorilla, Erik. As his experiments fail because of the quality of his victims' blood, Mirakle meets with Camille L'Espanye, and has her kidnapped and her mother murdered, leading to suspicion falling on Camille's fiance, Pierre Dupin, a medical student who has already become interested in the earlier murders.
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The Ape Man is a 1943 American horror film directed by William Beaudine. The film is based on "They Creep in the Dark" by Karl Brown, which was published in The Saturday Evening Post. It stars Bela Lugosi as Dr. James Brewster who is aided by his colleague Dr. Randall. The doctor manages to transform himself into a ape man hybrid and desperately seeks a cure. Brewster believes that only the injection of human spinal fluid will prove effective as a cure. As Randall refuses to help him, Brewster and his captive gorilla seek involuntary donors.
Ghosts on the Loose is a 1943 American comedy horror film and the fourteenth film in the East Side Kids series, directed by William Beaudine. The picture co-stars horror film icon Bela Lugosi as well as Ava Gardner in one of her earliest roles.
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