Invisible Ghost (1941) - Lugosi returns for more Monogram sinisterness

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A menacing painted rendition of star Bela Lugosi strangling a young woman makes up this poster for Joseph H. Lewis' Invisible Ghost

House-owner Charles Kessler at night becomes hypnotized by his estranged, brain-damaged wife's 'ghost', causing him to murder at random, using his coat (!).

 

Invisible Ghost is written by Al Martin (Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957)) and Helen Martin (The Lady Confesses (1945)) and directed by Joseph H. Lewis (Navy Spy (1937)).

The film is a strange, quite short 'ghost' story with a ghost who is not invisible, and who is actually also not a ghost but merely brain-damaged, (you try to explain the title, because I can't.) There is also a legal twist to the story, and Bela Lugosi (Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957)) and Clarence Muse (Buck and the Preacher (1972)) as the black butler are especially good here in what is really an odd little curiosity.  

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown

= Uncertain

[Invisible Ghost was released 25 April (USA) and runs 64 minutes. It was the first of 9 films Lugosi made under his new contract to producer Sam Katzman and Monogram Pictures. Shooting took place from March 1941 - ?, incredibly close to the film's release. Details of its release numbers are regrettably lost. The film is also noteworthy for having black actor Muse's name prominently on the poster as one of the film's just 3 credited co-stars. It has since fallen into public domain and is now available free and legally to stream and/or download right here. Lewis returned with Criminals Within (1941). Lugosi returned in The Black Cat (1941). 2.6k+ IMDb users have given Invisible Ghost a 5.2/10 average rating.]

 

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