Product: Invisible Ghost (UK PAL Region 0)
Rating: 3.0
The best of Bela Lugoi's Poverty Row films for Monogram
Actually "The Invisible Ghost" does refer to a character in this 1941 film, but then the only thing that matters is Bela Lugosi's name on the title card. Lugosi plays Charles Kessler, who we meet having dinner with his wife on their wedding anniversary; the only problem is that according to daughter Virginia (Polly Ann Young), her mother was killed in a car accident several years earlier as she was about to run off with her husband's best friend. But Kessler still worships his wife and on their anniversary he convinces himself he is having dinner with his beloved. Sounds plausible enough, but the truth is that Mrs. Kessler (Betty Compson) survived the auto accident and is being kept in the gardener's shed by the caretaker, Jules (Ernie Adams), who keeps assuring the poor woman that she will be taken to her husband and daughter "soon." Meanwhile, there have been a series of strange murders in the neighborhood and when the maid is struck down the suspicion falls on Virginia's beau (John McGuire). But, of course, that is not close enough to home to really ruin the rest of Virginia's life and sooner or later the local cops will figure out the truth of what is going on here."The Invisible Ghost" is the best of the nine Poverty Row productions Lugosi made for Monogram after his fall from grace at Universal Studios. The problems in the script (you can usually find the body in a car crash for starters) are compensated for by the work of director Joe Lewis, who shows a lot of cinematic flair for a B-film director making a quickie (e.g., filming the fireplace during the exposition). This film is rather face paced and gets a lot in for only 64-minutes. The other advantage it has is that Lugosi's performance is better than the plot; I mean, come on, you know who the murderer is before the movie begins, and it is just a question of waiting for all the pieces to be forced into place by the time the film ends. This is not a suspense film, but more one about atmosphere and mood. The insane wife, befuddled daughter and falsely accused beau are all above average performances as well; if you were just listening to them you would not know this was a low-budget horror film. There are times when I think this is Lugosi's best performance, but I am probably more comfortable claiming it is one in which he plays his most sympathetic character. But if you do not have a strong stomach for stupid plots, then you would want to pass this one bye.