utgard14 First off, this is not a horror movie in any way for those who might be thinking that due to the poster or the fact Turhan Bey is in it. During the '40s he appeared in several of the lesser Universal horror films. This isn't one of them. This is a somewhat noirish psychological thriller about a widow, a fake psychic, and a dead husband that may not be so dead. I see a lot of praise for this in the reviews here but this is one time when I'm not in agreement with the majority. Frankly, I found this to be a real bore. The cast is nice and the twists look good on paper but the whole thing is just so unexciting I could barely stay awake during it. Also I don't get the praise for the cinematography. The film looks fine but, again, I'm just not seeing what others are seeing. It's nothing special, in my opinion. Give it a look and judge for yourself but keep expectations low.

Rainey Dawn Do not let the name of this film scare you off from watching it because the name of the film does not do this movie justice at all. This is a great film noir thriller with Gothic overtones.This is a ghost story and one cannot speak of this film without giving it away. This is a movie you will just have to see to appreciate. I can say this film does have a couple of surprising plot twists for the first time viewer that fans of mystery-thrillers can enjoy.I recommend this movie to anyone that loves a good ghost story, horror films, mysteries and thrillers. This movie is really worth watching.8.5/10

Bezenby Remade as a hardcore porno called "The Amazing Mr XXX" in the seventies (which gave a new meaning to the word 'ectoplasm'), the original film is a very interesting mystery film set in the world of séances and medium, with many twists and turns, all presented in a very stylistic way.Millionarre widow Chrissy and her vapid, gullible sister Janet live on a cliff top mansion with their servants. Chrissy's mourning the death of her husband Paul, who died in a car crash or something, but she's in a new relationship with another guy who's set to propose. Going to meet her prospective appointee, she takes a walk on a beach where she hears Paul's voice calling her name, and shortly bumps into a man called Alexis who seems to know everything about her.Alexis states that he's a medium and can help her out, which leads Chrissy to start visiting him a lot and start neglecting her fiancé, who, along with sister Janet, employ a debunker to get Chrissy away from Alexis. They now know Alexis has a previous criminal record, but he's no fool and they're about to get out-manoeuvred again…and even Alexis may not be totally in control of everything.I'll go no further with the plot because it will just spoil things for you. This whole film seems to revolve around sleight of hand, mediumship, illusion and trickery (and not just by Alexis). It also has this great noir look about it and a great use of shady and backlighting, as well as a couple of trippy, creepy scenes, one involving a wedding dress that attacks Chrissy (which could be straight out of a Japanese horror film) and a séance where Alexis himself isn't sure what's going on. Chrissy's a bit of a wet blanket mind you, and Janet comes across as a bit daft, but then again some characters develop and change as the film goes on, and there's a few good twists to keep you going, as well as a pretty poignant ending.You haven't seen a film quite like this I'd say.

Spikeopath The Spiritualist (AKA: The Amazing Mr. X) is directed by Bernard Vorhaus and collectively written by Crane Wilbur, Muriel Roy Bolton and Ian McLellan Hunter. It stars Turhan Bey, Lynn Bari and Cathy O'Donnell. Music is by Alexander Laszlo and cinematography by John Alton.Christine Faber ( Bari) thinks she hears the voice of her late husband calling out to her from the beach. Upon investigating she bumps into a mysterious stranger called Alexis (Bey) who seems to know all about her. It turns out that Alexis is a spiritualist, but is he genuine? Christine and her younger sister Janet (O'Donnell) quickly fall for Alexis' spiel and charms, but there are surprises in store for all involved… Sources suggest that preview screenings of The Spiritualist didn't go down too great, some of the more supernatural aspects of the story proved to be unintentionally funny. Apparently? In truth when viewing now it is a bit creaky in that department, but atmosphere is everything in a film like this and the makers get it mostly right. It sort of floats on ethereal waters, never hurried it indulges us in some impressive imagery whilst letting us into the trick laden world of a phony medium. The moon and the sea are characters in their own right, and Alton and Vorhaus bring them into the psychological play, while primary human characters are either gorging on obsession or manipulating to feather ones own nest. Then a twist comes that doesn't hinder the narrative or mood, in fact it aids the story considerably.Director Vorhaus pitches the film somewhere in between a noir and a ghost story, sprinkles a bit of romanticism on the top and has fun debunking the art of spiritualism in the process. There's also a fun glint in the eye during proceedings (with one incredulous reaction from Alexis particularly joyous), something that is clearly intentional and was most likely misread by those preview audiences mentioned earlier. With John Alton working his cinematography wonders (expressive light and angles, looming shadows and misty close ups) and a very agreeable cast (including a smart Raven) making the story work in spite of some credibility stretching in the script, it rounds out as a very enjoyable, sometimes intelligent, picture.Undeniably without Alton though, it wouldn't be half as decent, he is the guiding force in the production. Alton's book Painting with Light (1949) features The Spiritualist prominently and it's evident the great man was tinkering with his talents here. The other notable link to the film is a sad one, the role of Christine Faber was signed sealed and delivered to Carole Landis, but just before the film went into production she committed suicide, aged just 29. On to more cheery things, home format availability? Numerous releases of the film have surfaced over the years, most have been bad transfers from public domain sources, however, now we do have a definitive release from Sony Classic (under the title The Spiritualist) that is a very decent print and takes us viewers firmly into the strange world of Mr. X.It makes a nice accompaniment to John Farrow's Night of a Thousand Eyes, also from 1948, with both films serving as perfect appetiser's to Edmund Goulding's Nightmare Alley (1947). 7.5/10