The Man with Nine Lives

Boris Karloff plays Dr. Kravaal, a pioneer in human cryogenics who, at one time past, was conducting unethical experiments before he mysteriously vanished along with a small group of law officials who were apprehending him for his crimes at that time. We then fast forward ahead ten years to the 'present' day of 1940 where young Dr. Mason (Roger Pryor) and his fiancée/assistant, Judy (Jo Ann Sayers) are making great strides in the treatment of cancer patients through means of 'Frozen Therapy,' a process originally spearheaded by the missing Kravaal himself. Curious to know exactly what happened to the old doctor, Mason and Judy embark on a search to Kravaal's long abandoned residence. Descending many steps downward below the surface of his home, they discover the scientist mysteriously preserved alive inside his own ice chamber, along with the men who tried to arrest him. Once all the main players are revived, Kravaal remains as wrapped up in his experiments as ever, and is now determined to continue them at any price -- even if it means using the people around him as unwilling human guinea pigs. This was another in a series of similar mad doctor movies which Karloff made for Columbia Pictures in the 1940s. As far as this series go, this one is an interesting offering. **1/2 out of ****