After Bela Lugosi fell from grace at Universal Studios, he capitalized on his horror star status and teamed with Monogram producer Sam Katzman. Their working relationship didn’t last too long, but together they managed to squeeze out nine films. During Summer 2000, the Roan Group released arguably Lugosi and Katzman’s best film, THE INVISIBLE GHOST on DVD. The film was originally released in 1941 and was directed by Joe Lewis. Lewis was a tremendous B-film director with a unique visual flair that usually rose above the Poverty Row assignments he was given. Lewis made a huge mark for himself in the world of low budget Westerns, with films like TWO-FISTED RANGERS, BLAZING SIX-SHOOTERS, and TEXAS STAGECOACH.

THE INVISIBLE GHOST features Bela Lugosi in one of his most popular Poverty Row performances, as the kindly Dr. Charles Kessler, a man who is unaware that he is actually a killer. Joining Lugosi in the film is John (HE WALKED BY NIGHT) McGuire, who portrays twin brothers Ralph and Paul Dixon. Polly Ann (SONS OF STEEL) Young is Bela’s daughter, Virginia. Clarence Muse reteams with Lugosi (they were both in WHITE ZOMBIE) as Bela’s butler, Evans. George (BLACK DRAGONS) Pembroke plays the Inspector on the trail of the killer. Betty (MYSTIC CIRCLE MURDER) Compson portrays Bela’s disturbed wife. Terry (VOODOO MAN) Walker is the gorgeous but treacherous maid, Cecile. Ernie (ESCAPE IN THE FOG) Adams plays Bela’s caretaker, Jules.

Dr. Charles Kessler (Lugosi) is a rich, eccentric physician, who lives with his daughter Virginia (Young) in their gothic manor. He has a domestic staff who maintains the house and sprawling property. Alas, the poor Dr. Kessler has never been the same since his beloved wife left him for his best friend. After that difficult event happened, Mrs. Kessler (Compson) was involved in an automobile accident and believed dead. About the same time that Dr. Kessler had to deal with the tragedy, a series of unexplained murders began. However, Dr. Kessler is unaware that his wife survived—the caretaker, Jules (Adams) hides her away in a hidden room beneath the garage of the mansion. Sadly, Mrs. Kessler suffers from trauma and amnesia and she has no idea who she is, and she recognizes no one. Every year on her birthday, Dr. Kessler has his butler, Evans (Muse) serve dinner to his imaginary wife. Virginia’s boyfriend Ralph (McGuire) is coveted by the pretty young chamber maid, Cecile (Walker). Late one evening, Mrs. Kessler wanders out of her hidden room and shuffles over the landscape in a daze. She unknowingly limps by the window that her husband was looking through--and when he sees his deceased wife walking about, the poor guy snaps. He spazzes out and goes into a trance. Then Dr. Kessler walks downstairs and breaks into the servant’s chamber and kills Cecile.

The next day, Dr. Kessler remembers nothing and is truly surprised when Evans discovers the body. This prompts a police inspector (Pembroke) to come to the manor and question everyone; he is the same inspector assigned to the local unexplained murders. The next night, Virginia’s boyfriend Ralph falls victim to a bellicose Dr. Kessler. After the Kessler family mourns the loss of Ralph, his twin brother Paul (also Dixon) shows up at the mansion. Paul is interested in tracking down the killer who murdered his brother. Dr. Kessler welcomes Paul into the fold (Kessler doesn’t even know that he is the killer). Everytime Mrs. Kessler wanders out of her secret room, her appearance prompts her husband to go temporarily insane. Dr. Kessler then must commit a murder in order to appease his inner turmoil. The inspector has been spending so much time at the Kessler house, constantly questioning everyone, but there is never enough evidence to identify the killer. Will Ralph be the key to resolving the string of unsolved murders before everyone else in the house is murdered?

THE INVISBLE GHOST features a ridiculously thin plot line. Joe Lewis and Sam Katzman ask an awful lot of the audience—all the incidents involving Mrs. Kessler’s affair and automobile accident happen before the film even begins. The script merely insinuates the relationships and history of the characters. Also, the idea of Mrs. Kessler living on the grounds of the mansion for so long, and yet no one had ever seen her except her troubled husband, is pretty far fetched. Another major problem with the script is that Lugosi is revealed as the murderer in the first five minutes. By doing this, a lot of the mystery and suspense is thrown right out the window. The filmmakers should have kept the killer’s identity secret as long as possible. Had the producers kept things a mystery, the conclusion of picture would have been far more shocking and effective. But THE INVISIBLE GHOST is not about story or suspense, it’s about mood. It’s about ghostly white figures on black backgrounds, shadowy hallways, secret rooms, and gothic trappings. In this area, the filmmakers succeed in creating a bizarre, ghostly atmosphere.

Many of THE INVISIBLE GHOST’s flaws can be attributed to the shoestring budget. The performances and direction of Joe Lewis more than makes up for the plot and production shortcomings. Bela Lugosi is superb as the tortured Dr. Kessler. Even though his character is a killer, his performance still evokes sympathy. This is a side we don’t see too often from the horror icon; as he is usually cast as the evil menace. Betty Compson is nearly as good in her portrayal of Mrs. Kessler, a woman struggling with an identity crisis due to her mental instability. Clarence Muse is great as the butler Evans, who slyly provides some comic relief to the proceedings. John McGuire and Polly Ann Young turn in two promising performances as Ralph/Paul Dixon and Virginia Kessler, respectively. Joe Lewis includes some competent direction and some wonderful camera angles. For instance, in several dialog scenes, Lewis shoots the exposition over the flames of the fireplace in Bela’s mansion. Instead of regular long-winded dialog shots, the flames literally caress the characters and foreshadow events to come. Lewis uses techniques like these to keep things afloat despite the plot flaws and meager budget. He also weaves some subtle humor into the flawed script, further enhancing the entertainment value of THE INVISIBLE GHOST.

-  Phil Chandler