Starring Bela Lugosi, Wallace Ford, Sally Blane, Bryant Washburn, Tully Marshall
Directed by Ben Stoloff
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A serial killer strikes again and again near the home of a wealthy family, where a scientist is planning to test a formula for surviving being buried alive.
Lugosi stars in the role of a turbaned Indian servant in this mystery-thriller, which has more in common with his other parts as a murder suspect than any of his horror classics. Still, this was filmed near the height of his fame, and it's a beefier showcase for him then you might think, abetted by Joseph Valentine's spooky and shadowy photography. Unfortunately the film is badly dated by a racial stereotype played by Oscar Smith, whose manner of speech and stuttering are cruelly presented for laughs. By contrast, Lugosi and his Indian on-screen wife, played by Mary Frey, are much more noble and honored, despite being demeaned as servants in some dialogue. Ford is cast in one of his many wisecracking reporter roles, playing off Matt McHugh's inept police detective, while trying to romance Blane's already engaged character, and they're all fine, but Lugosi's the one worth watching, along with Edwin Maxwell's pointy-toothed Maniac killer.
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