IMDb > The Devil Commands (1941)

The Devil Commands (1941) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
5.9/10   287 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 19% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Edward Dmytryk
Writers:
Robert Hardy Andrews (screenplay)
Milton Gunzburg (screenplay)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Devil Commands on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 February 1941 (USA) more
Genre:
Horror | Sci-Fi more
Tagline:
KARLOFF TURNS KILLER IN A HORROR-CRAMMED THRILLER! (original 11x14 title card) more
Plot:
Scientist becomes obsessed with the idea of communicating with his dead wife. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Reviews:
Karloff And Revere Make A Wonderful Duo In Fun Chiller more (26 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Boris Karloff ... Dr. Julian Blair
Richard Fiske ... Dr. Richard Sayles
Amanda Duff ... Anne Blair

Anne Revere ... Mrs. Walters
Ralph Penney ... Karl
Dorothy Adams ... Mrs. Marcy
Walter Baldwin ... Seth Marcy
Kenneth MacDonald ... Sheriff Ed Willis
Shirley Warde ... Helen Blair
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Devil Said No
When the Devil Commands
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Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
65 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
USA:Approved
Company:
Columbia Pictures Corporation more

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Dr. Julian tells Mrs. Walters she had 10,000 volts pass through her body. Volts do not flow or pass, amps do. more
Quotes:
Dr. Julian Blair: Anne dear, your mother is not dead, not really. She's come back to me! more

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User Reviews

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful.
Karloff And Revere Make A Wonderful Duo In Fun Chiller, 10 October 2007
7/10
Author: Hal-900 from WA, USA

Good Columbia Pictures programmer with Boris Karloff as a scientist obsessed with communicating with his dead wife. It is at times a bit too close to the "Frankenstein" films but it is very entertaining. It begins with Amanda Duff (who plays Karloff's daughter) narrating – an obvious attempt to imitate Hitchcock's "Rebecca" – the strange tale of his father's growing fixation with his unethical experiments. Karloff uses brainwaves in order to make contact with the world of the dead. Anne Revere is wonderfully bitchy as a phony clairvoyant who wants to profit from Karloff's experiments. It doesn't look too cheap or too low grade. It has some cool effects, including a neat miniature model of a New England house. I liked Edward Dmytryk's atmospheric direction too. It feels like Dmytryk was practicing his craft before he hit it big with the noir classic "Crossfire." The scenes between Karloff and Revere offer the best moments in the film, though. It's a fine 'B' movie that fans of Karloff will enjoy.

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