Bela Lugosi portrays Charles Kessler, in denial over his wife's running off with another man years ago, and now missing or presumed dead since being involved in a car crash which killed her husband. Yet she's living secretly in the basement of the gardener's shed, believing she's dead, and occasionally strolling out to the grounds of the estate in her bathrobe. Now read those two sentences once again, because if you buy it, you won't have any trouble with the rest of the film.
Whenever Kessler sees his wife, he goes into a catatonic trance like state, doing a Frankenstein walk as he finds a victim to strangle within his home. It's usually one of the staff, and with good help hard to find, this could be a bit troublesome. After his daughter's boyfriend is conveniently convicted for the murder of the maid, the lookalike brother conveniently shows up with enough common sense to help the inept police department figure out what's going on.
There are some redeeming qualities to the film though. There's an interesting camera technique used for parlor shots done through the flames of the fireplace framing the characters inside. It's rather well done and memory doesn't recall it's use in any other films. Additionally, the part of black Butler Evans is played straight and dignified by Clarence Muse, unusual for the era, when many black parts were either racially denigrated or played for comic relief. When Muse's character failed to slide into stereotype, especially under questioning by the police, it was a refreshing relief.
"The Invisible Ghost" probably won't make anyone's top ten horror list, or even top ten Lugosi list, though some of the prior postings on this film did surprise me. Although not "must see" in the usual sense, it does merit a viewing for a well rounded appreciation of Bela Lugosi's film credits.
Whenever Kessler sees his wife, he goes into a catatonic trance like state, doing a Frankenstein walk as he finds a victim to strangle within his home. It's usually one of the staff, and with good help hard to find, this could be a bit troublesome. After his daughter's boyfriend is conveniently convicted for the murder of the maid, the lookalike brother conveniently shows up with enough common sense to help the inept police department figure out what's going on.
There are some redeeming qualities to the film though. There's an interesting camera technique used for parlor shots done through the flames of the fireplace framing the characters inside. It's rather well done and memory doesn't recall it's use in any other films. Additionally, the part of black Butler Evans is played straight and dignified by Clarence Muse, unusual for the era, when many black parts were either racially denigrated or played for comic relief. When Muse's character failed to slide into stereotype, especially under questioning by the police, it was a refreshing relief.
"The Invisible Ghost" probably won't make anyone's top ten horror list, or even top ten Lugosi list, though some of the prior postings on this film did surprise me. Although not "must see" in the usual sense, it does merit a viewing for a well rounded appreciation of Bela Lugosi's film credits.