A demented physician (Boris Karloff) becomes obsessed with a young singer (Susanna Foster) whose voice sounds similar to his late mistress (June Vincent).
Something about this film went horribly wrong. The script comes from the writer of "The Wolf Man", and the director was also from "The Wolf Man". Off to a good start. Then you cast Boris Karloff, possibly the best of the Universal horror actors. And the set is from "Phantom of the Opera", a very impressive background.
But then the creators seemed like they wanted to mix opera with horror, and went a bit too heavy on the opera. This mix works, as both "Phantom" and Dario Argento's "Opera" have proved. But horror fans want horror, not song and dance numbers, and this never delivers the goods. Those who like singing may greatly enjoy this, but those were not the people who the film was marketed to.
Something about this film went horribly wrong. The script comes from the writer of "The Wolf Man", and the director was also from "The Wolf Man". Off to a good start. Then you cast Boris Karloff, possibly the best of the Universal horror actors. And the set is from "Phantom of the Opera", a very impressive background.
But then the creators seemed like they wanted to mix opera with horror, and went a bit too heavy on the opera. This mix works, as both "Phantom" and Dario Argento's "Opera" have proved. But horror fans want horror, not song and dance numbers, and this never delivers the goods. Those who like singing may greatly enjoy this, but those were not the people who the film was marketed to.