JohnHowardReid Bela Lugosi (Dr Lorenz), Luana Walters (Patricia Hunter), Tris Coffin (Dr Foster), Kenneth Harlan (editor), Vince Barnett (Sandy), Elizabeth Russell (Countess Lorenz), Minerva Urecal (Fagah), Angelo Rossitto (Toby), Joan Barclay (Alice Wentworth), Gwen Kenton (Peggy Woods), Frank Moran (Angel), George Eldredge (Mike), Gladys Faye (Mrs Wentworth), Eddie Kane (district attorney), Murdock MacQuarrie (minister), Frank O'Connor (policeman).Director: WALLACE FOX. Screenplay: Harvey Gates. Story: Gerald Schnitzer, Sam Robins. Photography: Arthur Reed. Release prints processed in sepia. Film editor: Robert Golden. Art director: Dave Milton. Music directors: Johnny Lange and Lew Porter. Production manager: Ed W. Rote. Assistant director: Arthur Hammond. Sound recording; Glen Glenn. Associate producer: Barney Sarecky. Producers: Sam Katzman, Jack Dietz.Copyright 8 May 1942 by Monogram Pictures Corp. U.S. release: 8 May 1942. No recorded New York opening. 7 reels. 64 minutes. Alternative title: Case of the Missing Brides.COMMENT: This really silly story about a mad scientist who extracts the blood of virgin brides to keep his wife young, is given a bit of life and vitality through the sterling efforts of some of its players and by Wallace Fox's occasionally slick direction. The players who come to the rescue of the script are led by the lovely Luana Walters, the surprisingly personable Tris Coffin (as the hero, no less), ever-reliable Kenneth Harlan and the fascinating Angelo Rossitto (who actually has a few words of dialogue). I have exclude Mr Lugosi who can play this sort of role standing on his head. Somehow the film's strained production values seem to match his waning charisma.

binapiraeus There's a very strange and frightening murder series going on: young brides all of a sudden faint and die during their wedding ceremony - the nightmare of every young couple and their parents... But not enough with that: the bodies of the brides are stolen practically right from the altar! But a cheeky girl reporter finally finds a clue: an orchid with a strange smell, and she soon finds out that every one of the brides wore an orchid like this.And so, determined to get out of her gossip column job at last and into the REAL (yellow press) journalism, she finds out who grows these rare orchids, and ventures right into the lion's den - where she meets a perfect, but somehow reserved gentleman and his beautiful, but obviously psychologically disturbed wife. But what she doesn't know yet: this gentleman is the same man who peeps grinning out of the hearse every time it takes away the bodies of the dead brides...Here Bela Lugosi REALLY seems to be in his element: the stately, well-mannered, but somehow sinister gentleman who turns out to be something COMPLETELY different at the end - but not a blood-thirsty monster as we may suspect, but a caring, obeying husband; only not in the USUAL way...This is one of the 'serious' movies that Bela made for Monogram - and he DID take it serious. His performance is excellent, and even if the script at a close look does show some flaws, the direction is perfect: the classic, haunting atmosphere of doom seems to hang above everyone's head - but will fate spare anybody? Find out for yourself - it's REALLY worth watching, a 'must' for every fan of classic horror!

BA_Harrison The Corpse Vanishes opens in fine fashion with a series of society brides dropping dead at the altar and their bodies abducted shortly thereafter by a pair of faux morticians. Matters get even more fun when feisty investigative reporter Patricia Hunter (Luana Walters) suspects that the species of orchid worn by the brides is the key to solving the mystery and tracks down the original hybridiser of the flower, Dr. Lorenz (Lugosi), for an interview: in doing so, she puts herself in mortal danger, for it is Lorenz who is responsible for the dying and disappearing brides. With a little help from his 'family'—old crone Fagah (Minerva Urecal) and her two sons, loping brute Angel (Frank Moran), and malicious dwarf Toby (Angelo Rossitto)—Lorenz has been extracting fluids from his victims' glands and injecting them into his 80-year-old wife (Elizabeth Russell) to keep her young.Fans of cheesy poverty row horror thrillers should have a great time with this 1942 Lugosi vehicle from Monogram: featuring the Dracula star at his most hammy and with a plot that packs in so many genre tropes (hidden passageways, thunder storms, eccentric characters etc.) it's positively creaking at the seams, The Corpse Vanishes is solid schlock entertainment from start to finish.N.B. Actor Tristram Coffin, whose surname suggests that he would perfect for one of the film's more grim characters, actually plays the hero, Dr. Foster, who rescues Patricia in the film's deranged finalé (and who proposes marriage only a couple of days after first meeting the pretty news-hound).

Chrissie The central mystery of "The Corpse Vanishes" hinges on who is stealing the corpses of brides who unexpectedly drop dead immediately after saying "I do." The deeper mystery is why the brains of all the characters have vanished.You would think that with a string of keeled-over brides, the police, or at least the public health officials, would be trying to figure out why a bunch of young, healthy women are kicking the bucket when they should be kissing the groom. Likewise, it seems that this is the angle the newspapers would be investigating. Instead, the focus is on who is stealing the bodies. "The murderer" is the most obvious answer.Of course, with all these dead brides, one would expect the wedding business to go into a bit of a slump -- or for armed security at weddings to suddenly come into vogue. But no! Weddings go on as usual, with nobody so much as babysitting the corpse to keep it from being misappropriated.From such a foundation, you can easily imagine how inexplicable the characters' behavior remains throughout. I won't spoil the fun by providing examples, lest you, dear reader, wish to enjoy "The Corpse Vanishes" on MSTTK.