John Alton’s stunning cinematography elevates to exhilarating heights this clever story of a psychic (Turhan Bey) insinuating himself into the moody cliffside mansion of a wealthy widow (Lynn Bari) by convincing her, and her less-impressionable daughter (Cathy O’Donnell), that he can communicate with the dead. The film’s exploration of the occult is impressively thorough, thanks to the use of real seance techniques and jargon from the era. Crane Wilbur would go on to write some of Eagle-Lion’s toughest docu-noirs, but here he tries his hand at mystery and succeeds in keeping us constantly guessing. Filled with clever visual gags and tricky sleight-of-hand, and featuring a smooth-as-silk turn by Bey as the sophisticated charlatan. One of the most satisfying “B” films of the era.
Music Box Theatre screens films of all genres and from every era of cinema, both new releases and repertory. These films may sometimes contain upsetting, outdated, or offensive material. While we aim to introduce many of our screenings, we do not always provide warnings about potentially triggering content within the films we screen. We encourage our patrons to research the film before they attend using trailers, reviews, or content information found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com.
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