Invisible Ghost (1941)

The town's leading citizen becomes a homicidal maniac after his wife deserts him.

Director:

Joseph H. Lewis

Writers:

Helen Martin (story), Al Martin (story)

Stars:

Bela Lugosi, Polly Ann Young, John McGuire

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bela Lugosi	...	Charles Kessler
Polly Ann Young	...	Virginia Kessler
John McGuire	...	Ralph Dickson / Paul Dickson
Clarence Muse	...	Evans
Terry Walker	...	Cecile Mannix
Betty Compson	...	Mrs. Kessler
Ernie Adams	...	Jules Mason
George Pembroke	...	Police Lt. Williams
Ottola Nesmith	...	Mrs. Mason (as Ollola Nesmith)
Fred Kelsey	...	Policeman Ryan
Jack Mulhall	...	Police Detective Tim

Storyline

The prominent Dr. Charles Kessler lives in a house with his daughter Virginia Kessler and his servants and misses his wife that left him. When there is a murder in his house, Virginia's fiancée Ralph Dickson is accused of the killing and sentenced to death penalty in the electric chair. Soon his twin brother Paul comes to Dr. Kessler's house, who invites him to stay in his house. Meanwhile, Mrs. Kessler is alive with neurological disorder after a car accident and hidden in the gardener's house that is secretly treating her. When she sneaks out of the house and sees Dr. Kessler in the window, he goes into a trance and turns into a killer. Will Dr. Kessler be stopped.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to casanova | insanity | madness | hallucination | black man | 

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Taglines:

THE PHANTOM KILLER STRIKES! Only a terrified woman knows the secret of this ghostly murderer...who strikes in the night and leaves no clues---but his victims!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

First of nine films made by Bela Lugosi under his contract with Sam Katzman for Monogram Pictures.

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Goofs

No ghost, not even an invisible one.

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Quotes

Evans the Butler: Do I look pale?
Jules Mason: No.
Evans the Butler: I feel pale.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits are composed of ghastly, ghostly, creepy letters.

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Bela Lugosi (1996)

User Reviews

Negligible plot, wonderfully murky atmosphere

The best way to see this film is to catch an aged, scratched up print with bad sound on late night television. It seems to almost be made for that kind of antique, romantic creakiness.

Bela Lugosi plays a husband who murders his house guests overnight at the command of his hypnotist wife. The story isn't very well executed and is pretty ridiculous, actually, BUT what redeems the film and makes it very worthy of seeing is it's bizarre, ghostly atmosphere. The film is not about suspense, it's about mood. It's all about white figures moving around shadowy black backgrounds. It's about the interiors of the house looking like furnished crypts or like secret rooms not shown on the board of a Clue game.

This whole film is texture. It's very dream-like.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 April 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Murder by the Stars

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sam Katzman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

64 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1