I watched this film only because Egon Brecher was in it. As a pleasant surprise, so was Dwight Frye. Brecher appeared almost unnoticed in many classic horror films: The Black Cat, The Werewolf on London, The Black Room, The Devil Doll, and Mark of the Vampire. His secret was two-fold: he is ordinary looking, and has different makeup in each role. Here he is a murderous scientist with thick glasses. In other roles he has sported wigs and various style mustaches. Over his career, his English improved to be almost without an accent, so finding him by voice is also difficult.
I enjoyed the film. Unlike other reviewers, I though this was C. Henry Gordon's finest role. His cool evil is more affecting than when he shouts and leers in other films. Usually, when I see Herbert Mundin in the cast, I shrivel a bit; his comic characters ruin virtually every film he's in. Here he's a pleasant surprise, as an effective sidekick. Alan Marshall is an stalwart but human hero, an excellent foil for Gordon. A lot of the dialog reminds me of James Bond films. The actresses aren't very well fleshed out, but who cares? Despite a lack of action, the plot is exciting, and the villain's demise quite satisfactory. The only problem was the quality of the print. Quite a few splices make the dialog jumpy. Other than that, a satisfactory experience.
I enjoyed the film. Unlike other reviewers, I though this was C. Henry Gordon's finest role. His cool evil is more affecting than when he shouts and leers in other films. Usually, when I see Herbert Mundin in the cast, I shrivel a bit; his comic characters ruin virtually every film he's in. Here he's a pleasant surprise, as an effective sidekick. Alan Marshall is an stalwart but human hero, an excellent foil for Gordon. A lot of the dialog reminds me of James Bond films. The actresses aren't very well fleshed out, but who cares? Despite a lack of action, the plot is exciting, and the villain's demise quite satisfactory. The only problem was the quality of the print. Quite a few splices make the dialog jumpy. Other than that, a satisfactory experience.
