Starring Boris Karloff, John Loder, Anna Lee, Frank Cellier, Donald Calthrop
Directed by Robert Stevenson
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A scientist mocked for his theories, takes in a young female assistant, who helps him prove that he can switch the brain of one creature to another, but she fears he's too eager to experiment on man.
This is one of Karloff's first "mad doctor" films, predating the series he made in America for Columbia, and it may well be the best of them, with good performances and fine photography by Jack Cox. Karloff made this for Gaumont-British and Gainsborough, and their production values are excellent, with cleverly designed machines for Karloff to operate. Calthrop was a favorite performer for me, a wheelchairbound patient who delivers many witty and denigrating asides, and also Cellier whose performance as a stuffed shirt gives way to another different role to play. Karloff himself gives a worthy portrayal, riveting to watch, as his frustration gives way to surrendering to evil in tightly-framed closeups. We have here a very good horror film, among the top entries of the era.
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