I loved Boris Karloff's quote in my summary line portraying Dr. Thorne, and I wonder how much it was inspired by his role in the 1945 picture "The Body Snatcher". In that film, Karloff's character was Cabman Gray, a menacing and malevolent character who, as the title suggests, was a grave robber. He doesn't have that kind of role here, but his presence is central to resolving the mystery surrounding the death of his friend Edward Stapleton (Sidney Blackmer).
But there's a problem. The entire premise of the story has to do with the idea that Stapleton's fiancée and future wife Victorine (Patricia Medina) is out to kill him and hook up with her lover Julian (Scott Marlowe). However before we even get that far, Stapleton collapses on a hunting trip, and the medallions he wore identifying himself as a cataleptic were buried under a rock by Victorine. I guess you could say she was guilty of murder by omission rather than commission, but I think you'd have a tough time proving it.
This is probably one Thriller that could have been shortened by about ten or fifteen minutes and it would have been more effective. Those drawn out scenes of the phony Stapleton wandering around the yard in the dark made up like an apparition seemed to wear out it's welcome after a while. For his part, Julian folded like a cheap tent in giving up Victorine, and if they had both held steady, I think they could have effectively put one over on the good doctor. That's because even though the Stapleton look-alike was spooky enough from a distance, up close he was no dead ringer.
But there's a problem. The entire premise of the story has to do with the idea that Stapleton's fiancée and future wife Victorine (Patricia Medina) is out to kill him and hook up with her lover Julian (Scott Marlowe). However before we even get that far, Stapleton collapses on a hunting trip, and the medallions he wore identifying himself as a cataleptic were buried under a rock by Victorine. I guess you could say she was guilty of murder by omission rather than commission, but I think you'd have a tough time proving it.
This is probably one Thriller that could have been shortened by about ten or fifteen minutes and it would have been more effective. Those drawn out scenes of the phony Stapleton wandering around the yard in the dark made up like an apparition seemed to wear out it's welcome after a while. For his part, Julian folded like a cheap tent in giving up Victorine, and if they had both held steady, I think they could have effectively put one over on the good doctor. That's because even though the Stapleton look-alike was spooky enough from a distance, up close he was no dead ringer.