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The Invisible Ray

  • 19361936
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 20m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
The Invisible Ray (1936)
HorrorSci-FiThriller
A scientist becomes murderous after discovering, and being exposed to the radiation of, a powerful new element called Radium X.A scientist becomes murderous after discovering, and being exposed to the radiation of, a powerful new element called Radium X.A scientist becomes murderous after discovering, and being exposed to the radiation of, a powerful new element called Radium X.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Lambert Hillyer
  • Writers
    • John Colton(screenplay)
    • Howard Higgin(original story)
    • Douglas Hodges(original story)
  • Stars
    • Boris Karloff
    • Bela Lugosi
    • Frances Drake
  • Director
    • Lambert Hillyer
  • Writers
    • John Colton(screenplay)
    • Howard Higgin(original story)
    • Douglas Hodges(original story)
  • Stars
    • Boris Karloff
    • Bela Lugosi
    • Frances Drake
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 56User reviews
    • 54Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Photos70

    Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in The Invisible Ray (1936)
    Bela Lugosi, INVISIBLE RAY, THE, Universal, 1936, **I.V.
    "Invisible Ray" Boris Karloff 1936 Universal **I.V.
    The Invisible Ray (1936)
    The Invisible Ray (1936)
    The Invisible Ray (1936)
    The Invisible Ray (1936)
    The Invisible Ray (1936)
    The Invisible Ray (1936)
    Boris Karloff in The Invisible Ray (1936)
    Ray Turner in The Invisible Ray (1936)
    Boris Karloff in The Invisible Ray (1936)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Boris Karloff
    Boris Karloff
    • Dr. Janos Rukh
    • (as Karloff)
    Bela Lugosi
    Bela Lugosi
    • Dr. Felix Benet
    Frances Drake
    Frances Drake
    • Diana Rukh
    Frank Lawton
    Frank Lawton
    • Ronald Drake
    Violet Kemble Cooper
    Violet Kemble Cooper
    • Mother Rukh
    Walter Kingsford
    Walter Kingsford
    • Sir Francis Stevens
    Beulah Bondi
    Beulah Bondi
    • Lady Arabella Stevens
    Frank Reicher
    Frank Reicher
    • Professor Meiklejohn (Mendelssohn in end credits)
    Paul Weigel
    • Monsieur Noyer
    Georges Renavent
    Georges Renavent
    • Chief of the Surete
    • (as Georges Renevant)
    Ernie Adams
    Ernie Adams
      Ricca Allen
      Ricca Allen
      • Bystander
      • (uncredited)
      Charles Bastin
      Charles Bastin
      • French Newsboy
      • (uncredited)
      May Beatty
      May Beatty
      • Mme. LeGrand
      • (uncredited)
      Ted Billings
      • Counterman
      • (uncredited)
      Ernest A. Bouveron
      • French Newsboy
      • (uncredited)
      Helen Brown
      • Blind Girl's Mother
      • (uncredited)
      Daisy Bufford
      Daisy Bufford
      • Infant's Mother
      • (uncredited)
      • Director
        • Lambert Hillyer
      • Writers
        • John Colton(screenplay)
        • Howard Higgin(original story)
        • Douglas Hodges(original story)
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        The church in which Frank Lawton and Frances Drake get married, though called the "Church of the Six Saints" in the film, is actually the set of Notre-Dame Cathedral recycled from the 1923 Universal production "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame," starring Lon Chaney, Sr.
      • Goofs
        The film shows a clipping from a news magazine announcing that the principal characters have gone on an expedition to Nigeria to find the meteor containing Radium X. Yet in the earlier sequence showing the meteor landing on earth, it hit on the southwest coast of Africa over 1,000 miles away from Nigeria.
      • Quotes

        Ronald Drake: [discussing Benet's plan to invite unwitting scientists to a lecture intended as a trap for Rukh] Do you think it's fair to expose them to the danger?

        Dr. Felix Benet: There are only two people he wants to destroy. Two, or perhaps... three.

      • Crazy credits
        At the end: "A Universal Cast is Worth Repeating." This credit appeared on many Universal films of that era, not just "The Invisible Ray". It did not, however, appear on the cast list for the 1936 "Show Boat", which Universal also made.
      • Connections
        Edited into Mondo Lugosi - A Vampire's Scrapbook (1987)
      • Soundtracks
        Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)
        (1850) (uncredited)
        from "Lohengrin"
        Written by Richard Wagner
        Played on an organ for the wedding

      User reviews56

      Review
      Review
      Featured review
      6/10
      Early sci-fi horror film with good performances from Karloff and Lugosi...
      THE INVISIBLE RAY is a highly enjoyable horror film that seems way ahead of its time, coming as it does in 1936 and making use of meteors and Radium X in its plot design. BORIS KARLOFF is the scientist whose ideas are "stolen", or so he believes, by others and goes about seeking an unusual method of revenge, killing off his intended victims one by one.

      FRANK LAWTON and FRANCES DRAKE are the romantic leads with BEULAH BONDI playing an aristocratic Lady Arabella who is one of the victims. But the film is mainly a showcase for BORIS KARLOFF as the mad scientist, with BELA LUGOSI doing extremely well (and underplaying effectively) the role of a colleague among those on the "victim" list.

      Universal obviously planned this as a low-budget feature, but the sets are impressive, all the technical credits are more than adequate, and the story is well-paced and effective throughout.

      Well worth viewing and certainly one of the better Karloff/Lugosi joint ventures.
      helpful•6
      0
      • Doylenf
      • Oct 31, 2007

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • January 20, 1936 (United States)
      • Country of origin
        • United States
      • Languages
        • English
        • French
      • Also known as
        • Tödliche Strahlen
      • Filming locations
        • Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
      • Production company
        • Universal Pictures
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 20 minutes
      • Color
        • Black and White
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.37 : 1

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