mark.waltz
As colorless as Humphrey Bogart's skin in this D grade Warner Brothers' horror film. this has as much connection to the 1932 science fiction classic "Doctor X" as the Universal series of 1940's mummy films had in common with with the 1932 Karloff classic. There is a slight connection, but it is completely unbelievable. Good scientist/doctor Dennis Morgan must discover why nearly bloodless corpses of the same blood type keep turning up and why one alleged victim turns up alive, only to die for real out of the blue. This brings him and detective Wayne Morris to blood specialist John Litel who has some answers, some of which make this preposterous film more convoluted and hardly suspenseful, especially when they meet Litel's seemingly anemic assistant (Bogart), made up to resemble Karloff in 1934's "The Black Cat". Bogart has never looked so embarrassed on screen, and with good reason. After all, what movie star can say that they were made up to look like both Karloff AND Pepe le Peu in the same film? If Hollywood ever starts a wax museum of the most bizarre looking people on screen, Bogart's character here should be the first created!
DKosty123
This film does look to be very heavily edited before release. I wonder what they took out? What they left in is strange indeed.Bogart out of place as a criminal who gets the electric chair and then is brought back to life in some of the most ghoulish make-up you will ever see. Egad, after some of the better times he is strangely cast in a film, this one has got to be the worst.Bogart's star value at WB did not happen until after this one. If you want him in a better film of this genre, check out the film which stars Edward G. Robinson - Dr. Clitterhouse - of somebody. In that one Bogart is a heavy with a pretty decent role.In this one he is sort of a Frankenstein, and he acts as out of place as he is in this one. Only for curious people who to check out a great actor in an unsuitable role.
dougdoepke
Okay, I'm a hopeless vulgarian, but I thought the movie wasn't as bad as many others say. Sure, the material is z-grade, done a hundred times over starting with Frankenstein. But, except for Bogie's horrible make-up applied with a trowel, the movie's not all that hokey. The narrative is well constructed, building little-by-little on what's come before. Namely, why are blood donors being killed, and by whom, and what's aristocratic Dr. Flegg's (Litel) role. In my little view, the screenplay's construction is surprisingly good for a programmer. Plus, Morgan makes a dashing pursuer, along with a stumbling Wayne Morris as a comic-relief reporter. Then there's poor Rosemary Lane (Joan) in a tacked on role, no doubt for marquee purposes. And catch a non-goofy Huntz Hall (Pinky) before the Bowery Boys consumed his career. But who is the mysterious Lya Lys (Merrova), whose close-ups are the scariest thing in the movie. Sure, Bogie's make-up is the hokiest element in the 60-minutes and no doubt the low point of his spectacular career. Meanwhile, he has to take what Warner Bros. gives him. Anyway, the programmer does have its compensations.
johnc2141
i am a huge fan of b movies,especially when they have good actors in them.i am also a fan of the old warner brothers gangster movies with James Cagney,Humphrey Bogart,and George Raft.well return of Dr x is the only horror film that Humphrey Bogart ever made.there's a rumor that he was being punished by warner brothers to do this movie.that might be.but i think it was one of his better movies,Bogart plays a zombie like creature named Dr Kane who must kill to get blood,now it sounds like a vampire.well Kane was brought back to life by another Dr after he was executed in the electric chair for being a child murderer.sort of like an early version of Freddy Krueger.the title is very misleading,it is not a sequel to 1932s Dr x.the early two tone color horror starring;Lionel Atwill,and Fay Wray.it is a very interesting rare gem of a b movie that could've starred Boris Karloff who I'm sure was intended for the role.but to see Humphrey Bogart as a zombie vampire walking dead guy its unusual to say the least.i was impressed with return of Dr x.
AD
