MartinHafer In the 1930s and 40s, Monogram Pictures made quite a few low-budget horror films—and, amazingly, a lot of them were about resurrections of the dead that turned out very badly! Among the ones I've seen, "The Man With Two Lives" is probably the worst. Part of it is because the plot idea is silly and part of it is because the ending is just awful.Edward Norris stars as Philip Bennett—a nice young man from a rich family. However, just before his marriage, he has a bad car accident and is killed. HOWEVER, being a resurrection of the dead film, it just so happens that his father has been working on a process to revive the dead! He's done it on animals, so why not try it out on his son? After all, the guy's body is in one piece—he just died from shock.One Philip is revived, the film gets really, really odd (even by the standards of the genre). It seems obvious to everyone but the characters in the film that after Philip died, he somehow switched souls with a serial killer who was just executed. However, there really is no explanation for any of this! I must admit, seeing Norris running amok killing folks with little provocation was pretty funny---but the WHY never was explained. This is a big problem with the film—but the ending, yecch! It turns out in the end that it is all a dream!!! Philip was in a coma from the accident and dreamed everything!!! Now, he's awake and just swell!!!! It's like the Patrick Duffy death on "Dallas"—it was all just a bad dream!! Talk about wimping out and leaving the audience hanging! Overall, an entertaining film that ends so badly I really wish I'd seen something else! Shame on you, Monogram!

wes-connors "A young man, recently engaged to be married, is the victim of a traffic accident and dies as a result of his injuries. His father, desperate to revive his son, agrees to let a scientist friend try his experimental soul transmigration process to save him. After the young man returns to life, the father and fiancée notice a dark and violent change in the young man's behavior, leading them to believe something went horribly wrong in the revival process," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.At one point, Edward Norris (as Philip Bennett) is asked, "What do you think this is, Boys Town?" Mr. Norris should know, since he was in "Boys Town". "The Man with Two Lives " is more like "Black Friday" minus Karloff and Lugosi. You do the math. This film might have been a contender, with a re-worked script; it does feature an intriguing final act. After a tepid "shoot out", hang in for the drama to pick up with a well-played scene between star Norris and pursuing detective Addison Richards (as George Bradley).**** The Man with Two Lives (1942) Phil Rosen ~ Edward Norris, Eleanor Lawson, Addison Richards

lprescue Well, it is a Monogram quickie from the dreaded period of the '40s when poverty row studios put out a good many "horror" films that are almost unimaginably dull... So I was expecting the worst. The story concerns a doctor who has been working on a way to restore life to the dead through the use of a room full of non-utilitarian electrical devices which spark nicely. There is a dog's heart hanging under a bell jar and twitching fitfully, which we are informed is proof that his method is perfected.A brief discussion of the metaphysical implications and mention of an important plot point precede the inevitable death of a young man who is revived in a rather undramatic sequence - undramatic even with the sparks. The important plot point is that a convicted murderer is being executed just at midnight, which turns out to be exactly when the young man is revived. It is no surprise that the young man is very different after his experience; apparently amnesiac and with a strange desire to visit the haunts of the underworld and become acquainted with certain gangsters...It's hard to explain why this all is not completely unwatchable, but perhaps it suffices to say that it's mildly interesting and contains several murders and a couple of interesting characters. Towards the end it even begins to move along with a bit of real tension and a confrontation that is downright Hitchcockian. SPOILERI have to warn of a very, very bad ending. A tagged on unnecessary, pain in the ass sorta ending. After the plot resolves rather effectively...You know the sort of thing... It's all a dream. Never happened.

Hitchcoc As a writing teacher, there are two ending I never allow my students to use: "Then I woke up" and "Then I Got Run Over by a Truck." I am now going to add, "Then I got a bump on the head." I feel it's utterly unfair to use these tricks to cover up a lack of imagination. The whole issue of transmigration could have been handled with some intelligence and craft, yet, in this film, they either couldn't or wouldn't do that. I'm not saying it's totally worthless, but it is so predictable in its progress, except for the stupid ending. There are even gangsters who go to the police to get help from this guy. They should have done him in immediately. It's just a forgettable, borderline horror/sci fi film, with nothing new to offer.