JohnHowardReid Producer: Sam Katzman. Copyright 25 April 1941 by Monogram Pictures Corp. Produced by Banner Productions. New York opening at the Rialto: 7 May 1941. U.S. release: 25 April 1941. Never theatrically released in Australia. 7 reels. 64 minutes. SYNOPSIS: An innocent man (John McGuire) is executed for the murder of his former sweetheart (Terry Walker), a housemaid employed by the father (Bela Lugosi) of his current girlfriend (Polly Ann Young).NOTES: 33rd and final film of Polly Ann Young (older sister of Sally Blane and Loretta Young), who retired from the screen after this effort. She died in 1997. COMMENT: Far-fetched but genuinely scary horror yarn, masterfully directed by Joseph H. Lewis who does wonders with an extremely limited budget. Lugosi is inclined to over-emphasize the catatonics, and Pembroke is singularly colorless as the police investigator, but Miss Young makes a suitably fair heroine and Mr McGuire is quite impressive as both Ralph and Paul. We also liked the sultry, blonde victim played by Terry Walker, silent star Betty Compson as the madwoman, and reliable Clarence Muse as the steadfast butler. A current DVD offering accurately reproduces the compelling sepia tones of the original release prints.

Theo Robertson A series of gruesome murders are being varied out and the police are completely puzzled who the murderer is A very simple premise but one that is painfully told in a bizarre manner. In this type of movie the audience should be subjected to an element of suspense and mystery if only to involve some basic interest in the narrative but from the outset the audience are shown who the murderer is even if their motive is unclear Along with the lack of mystery nothing else about the story works well either. The dialogue is constantly expositional where characters refer to things they'd already know about. Okay it's a B movie simply to be shown after the cliffhanger serial and before the main feature but even so the audience should demand a bit more from the film makers

Leofwine_draca Throw together the standard elements of any '40s horror-cum-thriller and you pretty much have INVISIBLE GHOST; there's the spooky old mansion, lightning storms, perpetual darkness, the wisecracking police detective; two identical brothers; a black butler and a greedy cook and of course, good old Bela Lugosi, down on his luck and with nowhere to go but further down. INVISIBLE GHOST is one of the dozen or so interchangeable cheapie chillers Lugosi made during the decade and is neither bad enough to be particularly memorable, nor good enough to be worth seeking out. Instead it sits firmly in the so-so category, a film that genre aficionados are doubtless going to enjoy for the trappings of atmosphere and dated comic relief.The horror of the story comes from Lugosi, as anybody who has seen Dracula might have guessed. In the middle of the night, Lugosi's insane wife comes to the window and hypnotises him into committing murder - strangulation with his own jacket, to be specific. Thus we get a series of minor characters being bumped off whilst the sarcastic but inefficient police force stand by and watch helplessly. That's all there is to it, with zero action or thrill to recommend it, but some nice attempts at atmosphere here and there. The camera-work is also quite decent for this type of movie. The cast are pretty good in their roles, especially the black guy playing the butler, who is quite a tough cookie and not just the racially-challenged comic relief we usually see in this type of picture. Lugosi hams with relish, but you end up feeling sorry for the oldster really; he looks so tired here that he seems more of a victim than a killer. So, INVISIBLE GHOST; short enough to be worth a quick dip for those who like their chillers cheap and cheerful.

mikeg994 Back in the day, horror just didn't get the respect that it would today, kind of relegated to the back of the bus with all the other social reprobates. However this one is a gem, if not in the story line then certainly in the acting. Bela Lugosi is excellent as Mr. Kessler, the urbane and courtly widower somewhat befuddled by the recent loss of his wife in a tragic accident. Clarence Muse is excellent too as the butler, who in the role of black servant is not played mainly for comic effect, although he does have one funny line. At one point says "Do I look pale? I feel pale", when he sees Paul Dickson, who is the image of his dead brother Ralph.As with most horror mysteries, there is a lot of darkness and strange occurrences. Never mind that much of it isn't adequately explained, it keeps the viewer going. The police are clueless and seem always to be the dumbest ones in the room. The rest are either insane or hapless witnesses and victims. Considering the frequency of murder taking place in this house, the occupants seem strangely unconcerned and Mr. Kessler has no problem hiring new domestic servants to replace those who have been murdered.What is unexplained (and here be the spoiler) is why his gardener, Jules is providing shelter and allowing Mr. Kessler's wife {supposedly dead), who is also not quite right apparently, to hide somewhere nearby. Also why does she prowl the night and look in windows, in all weather, and what DSM-IV classification could possible exist to explain why this triggers in Mr. Kessler his slow trance-like stalking of victims in his house late at night? Mr. Kessler and his wife seem to be made for each other, since both are crazy as loons. All I can say is, it is probably a good thing that would-be son in law Ralph never gets a chance to reproduce with Kessler's daughter. The genetic consequences would not have been pretty.