The Devil Commands (1941)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Robert Hardy Andrews (screenplay)
Milton Gunzburg (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 February 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

KARLOFF TURNS KILLER IN A HORROR-CRAMMED THRILLER! (original 11x14 title card)

Plot:

Scientist becomes obsessed with the idea of communicating with his dead wife.

Plot Keywords:

Dead Wife | Scientist | Medium | Experiment | New England

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

Also Known As:

The Devil Said No
When the Devil Commands

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

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.

Quotes:

Dr. Van Den: I know one thing, Julian - there are things human beings have no right to know!

Helen, is that you or today's market reports?

Dr. Julian Blair has been conducting experiments with research with brain waves. One night, while en route to pick up his daughter from the train station, his wife is killed in a car crash, and Dr. Blair becomes obsessed with using research to be able to remain in contact with his late wife. His colleagues, assistant/Dr. Richard Sayles, and daughter Ann try to convince Dr. Blair, that these experiments are bordering on the occult, by the doctor scoffs them all off. When Dr. Blair's handyman Karl tells his boss of an experience he had with a medium, Mrs. Walters. Dr. Blair goes to the seance that night and uncovers Mrs. Walters hoax, but is convinced that she has extraordinary brain waves. While experimenting using Mrs. Walters, Karl becomes injured, shorting out his brain and nervous system. Shortly after, Dr. Blair (with Mrs. Walters and Karl) moves to a secluded house in Maine to further conduct his experiments, which unnerve the townspeople and the sheriff, who believes the doctor was responsible for the theft of the recently deceased, which Dr. Blair uses as conductors for his experiments. Dr. Blair later becomes convinced that Ann holds the key for communicating with his deceased love, but will he use her before the townspeople storm his house believing him responsible for the death of a local? This B-horror schlock hits on all cylinders, with Karloff giving one of his most strongest performances, only outdone by Revere's ultra sinister portrayal of Mrs. Walters. Very good direction by Dmytryk keeps this one moving with the great horror touches. Rating, 9.