Sometimes creepy as when Mrs. Kessler communicates her staring-eyed madness to Mr. Kessler (Lugosi) that sends him into a killer's trance. Those shots of her ravaged face peering at him through murky windows are the best part. But all in all, the 65-minutes amounts to little more than a Lugosi programmer. Seems Kessler's under his absentee wife's spell. Just how and why that's happened remains obscure as does the plot generally. But that's not important since the movie relies more on glaring close-ups of Lugosi's manic face than any other scare tactic. Meanwhile the corpses pile up thanks to Kessler's deadly trench coat. Good thing the winsome Polly Young's around to relieve us of Lugosi's facial contortions. But I'm thinking Clarence Muse as the dignified butler Evans walks off with the film. It's really he who anchors things, Lugosi or no. The director is Joseph H. Lewis of crime drama fame. Too bad more of his stylistic engagement doesn't come through. The proceedings could use more shadow and odd angles, but then it is 1941 a few years before B-movie styles loosened up. All in all, it's an okay horror flick but one mainly for fans of the Hungarian fright-master.

Bela Lugosi plays a sad sack whose wife left him years ago for another man. Unknown to Bela, the wife is back but a little nuts. So every night she wanders out and finds her way to her old house, where Bela sees her at a distance. This causes him to snap and strangle whoever he can get his hands on.The first of nine movies Bela Lugosi made for poverty row studio Monogram in the 1940s. This one is fun enough to overlook its cheap trappings. Bela is in fine form, hammy in the best way. Performances like his are what make seeing cheapies like this worthwhile. Final film appearance of lovely Polly Ann Young, older sister of Loretta. She plays Bela's daughter and does a fine job. Clarence Muse is good as Bela's trusted butler. Unfortunately, the least interesting actor in the cast, John McGuire, gets to play two parts. It's an enjoyable B movie. The title doesn't make a lot of sense but it's just a title. Worth a look for any Lugosi fan and anyone who can enjoy these old B movies without nitpicking too much.

A series of gruesome murders are being varied out and the police are completely puzzled who the murderer is A very simple premise but one that is painfully told in a bizarre manner. In this type of movie the audience should be subjected to an element of suspense and mystery if only to involve some basic interest in the narrative but from the outset the audience are shown who the murderer is even if their motive is unclear Along with the lack of mystery nothing else about the story works well either. The dialogue is constantly expositional where characters refer to things they'd already know about. Okay it's a B movie simply to be shown after the cliffhanger serial and before the main feature but even so the audience should demand a bit more from the film makers

The worst police force in the world are mildly concerned about a series of murders happening at a mansion owned by Bela Lugosi, and are vaguely interested in finding the killer. But who could that be? Jules the gardener, who keeps Bela's lost wife in a basement following a car accident she had with her lover? Evans the butler? How about Bela's daughter? Or her fiancé? Or Bela? Or Bela? Or Bela? Or Bela?Turns out it's Bela, who could practically walk about with a sign saying "I'm the killer" without the dumb police noticing. In fact, they pounce on just about anyone else and even have a guy executed for the murder of one of the staff! So, if you're a big 'reality' fan you'll be kicking in your television in frustration, but if you're a fan of watching Bela turn from loving, gentle father into a creeping wretch with a penchant for throttling, you'll get a kick from this film. That's what I like about Bela – he's up for about anything in a film, no matter how daft (like the Ape Man), but he can still portray a concerned father who has no idea that he's the one causing the murders, so when he does discover the truth, his dismay comes across as quite genuine. You've also got the sub-plot of how his wife is still alive (which is quite daft), and if you can get by the utter uselessness of the police here you might enjoy this one.I must also note that Evans, the black butler, is portrayed rather well, without all the "Lordy! Lawks!" mannerisms that appear in other films from this era. He's rather proud and loyal and restrained. Good stuff.