Rent Invisible Ghost (1941)

Spoilers follow ... - Invisible Ghost review by NP

When does a bad film become a good film? If you watch something and it's kept you entertained until the end, surely that proves it has something of merit? You'd think so, but the line between good and bad remains blurred.

By 1941, Bela Lugosi had ascended heights that only the lord of vampires could allow him, and the lows brought about by a subsequent purge of all cinematic horror in the late '30s. A possible result of this saw him rarely turn down a job, which led to him being treated shabbily by money-minded studios and also, that he would show up in some below-par productions. His run of films for Monogram Pictures was of a quality frequently treated less than seriously today - or even then. 'The Invisible Ghost' is the first of these. It's unimaginatively shot, resulting in many repetitive scenes and the plot makes no real sense, other than to present the audience with a few ghostly images and an unlikely murder saga.

And yet it has a certain something. Former silent screen star Betty Compson is excellent as Virginia, the confused, apparently doomed wife of Charles Kessler (Lugosi). Both of these actors are far better than the material, which nevertheless serves up a few sinister moments. John McGuire plays Ralph, but his limited range is stretched to also play twin brother John. Evans (Clarence Muse) is spared the usual wide-eyed eccentricities most coloured butlers from this era are afforded. He emerges as possibly the best-played character, and rather than being a comedy foil, is the one who stumbles across various killings.

There you have The Invisible Ghost. A slipshod, quickly shot delight, definitely worth your time.