Customer Reviews

Corpse Vanishes [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This fun horror classic stars the great Bela Lugosi in one of his best roles! Don't expect the plot to make much sense since nothing is ever really explained. Bela plays a creepy doctor who raises orchids and gives them to virgin girls who are about to be married. When the brides smell them, they go into a comatose state and seem to be dead to everyone. Bela and his henchmen (which includes a dwarf played by Angelo Rossitti from the classic film "Freaks") then steal the bodies by posing as morgue workers with a hearse. Once Bela has the brides at his laboratory he removes some of their 'fluids', which he uses to keep his sick aging wife youthful looking (his wife is played by the great 40s scream queen Elizabeth Russell). Soon a spunky female 'Louis Lane' type reporter played by Luana Walters is on to Bela, and when she tries to investigate (with the help of a hapless doctor), she discovers that Bela and his wife like to sleep in coffins and other odd things. When she confronts Bela about the coffin beds, he calmly replies in one of his most memorable lines ever: "I find a coffin much more comfortable than a bed". Classic 1940s b-movie fun. See it!

The only thing worse than being left standing at the altar is having your bride fall over dead in the middle of the service. As The Corpse Vanishes opens, that is exactly what is happening; even worse, the bride's corpses keep getting stolen. The cops are baffled, but hard-nosed female reporter Pat Hunter is determined to solve the mystery and make a name for herself in journalism. She follows her leads to the home of Dr. Lorenz (Lugosi) and winds up having the most terrifying night of her life. Lorenz has a peculiar staff-a rather annoying older servant and her two sons, one a midget and the other a seemingly mute and obviously dim-witted stooped-over fellow. Most strange of all, though, is Lorenz's ill-tempered wife. Of course, the Countess has reason to complain because she is constantly fighting old age and death. Lorenz has come up with a way to maintain his wife's youth and beauty; the only catch is that it requires the regular extraction of a certain amount of the essence of life from young girls. Why blushing brides are the specimens of choice is never really made clear. In any event, Pat struggles to find a way to trap the good doctor and convince her boss that she is telling the truth about the things she has discovered.

Interestingly, there are some definite similarities between this 1942 film and 1931's Dracula: Lugosi plays an evil man who must steal the life essence from beautiful young women in order to hold mortality at bay; Lorenz secretly enters the rooms of his guests during the night and stares down at them with the look Lugosi is famous for; Lorenz and his wife sleep in coffins; and the dim-witted, eternally slump-backed assistant (called Angel of all things) can be compared with Dracula's Renfield. The plot is rather weak in spots, but I love the nostalgic campiness of it (and, apparently, the Mystery Science Theater 3000 gang did too). I would rank this movie among the better horror movies of that golden era of cinematic fright. Lugosi fans will surely want to have The Corpse Vanishes in their video libraries as it features one of his best performances.

Please note that this review if for The Corpse Vanishes only, even though you may see it linked to a double feature release featuring a second Lugosi movie.

Bela Lugosi gave his all in every film he made. "The Corpse Vanishes," a 1942 Monogram quickie produced by Sam Katzman, is no exception. In this 64-minute gem, the horror icon plays Dr. Lorenz, a scientist who kidnaps young brides for the purpose of providing body fluids to restore the beauty of his 80-year-old wife. Bela is in his element - whether sleeping next to his wife in matching coffins or searching for new brides with his tiny assistant (Angelo Rossitto of "Freaks" fame). Elizabeth Russell stands out among the supporting players as the aging countess. Though the Lugosi Monograms are hardly classics, they remain a schlock lover's delight.

Only the glandular secretions -- and please don't ask for any more details -- of young virgins can keep the rapidly deteriorating body and mind of the crazed old amateur horticulturalist's wife fresh and youthful. Since, like most people except those taking part in medical trials, virgins seldom give up their secretions willingly, Dr. Lorenz (Bela Lugosi) arranges for them to be abducted and preserved. He'll do the extracting himself.

What a great cheese ball of a premise for a low budget horror movie. If The Corpse Vanishes turns out not to be the Havarti of horror, as a plain limburger it leaves an interesting aftertaste.

Sure, the acting is almost awful except for the actors fortunate enough to be playing the crazed dwarf (Angelo Rossitto, who later played The Master in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome); his crazed brute of a brother, Angel (Frank Moran), who grunts a lot and has a fetish for the virgins' hair; the crazed mother of the two (Minerva Urecal); the crazed wife (Elizabeth Russell), who sleeps in a plush coffin and, of course, the crazed doctor (Lugosi).

An enterprising young reporter, Patricia Hunter (Luana Walters) tracks down the doctor because of a strange orchid with a peculiarly sweet odor that had been worn by the victims. When the doctor and his wife invite Pat to stay the night, a raging storm immediately breaks out. That clue tells us some raging violence is about to erupt inside. Since it's well known that in Hollywood at this time all unmarried young women were virgins, Pat may have some unpleasant surprises to deal with. They include dark passages, a crusty laboratory where a near dead virgin is stored, a basement mausoleum and, later, a direct threat to Patricia's own glandular secretions. If she survives, what a story she'll have to give her editor.

If you sample this moist slice of moldy Velveeta (and why not? Don't be superior), don't judge Bela Lugosi by the company he keeps here. He had a huge impact in Dracula (1931), but my favorite movie of his is The Black Cat (1934). As Dr. Vitas Werdegast he's a sad, ironic man protective of his two young friends. When he finally takes a scalpel to Hjalmar Poelzig (Boris Karloff) and begins to flay the man alive, ah, well, it's a great scene.

The Corpse Vanishes is in the public domain. The version I saw may not be worth the effort.

The film begins with a church wedding. The bride faints; a doctor declares her dead! A black car takes the body away. Then the men from the morgue show up for the body. Who kidnapped another corpse? The police search only finds a hired man who knows nothing. There will be a society wedding. What can go wrong? The bride gets an unusual orchid as a gift. Poor Alice faints, her body is removed. Does the orchid have a strange smell? Miss Hunter discovers the connection btween the dead brides. We learn why the bodies are taken - for an extract that is given to the Countess! The people at the railroad station say Dr. Lorentz is strange and spooky. Who sent that coffin to Dr. Lorentz?

Reporter Hunter gets a ride to the Lorentz home with Dr. Foster. She wants information on the rare Stanhopia orchid. It is a dark and stormy night, so they will spend the night as guests. Will there be a frightful event in the night? Some horrible creature? Was it just a nightmare? Who would sleep in a coffin? Will something creepy happen? The background music telegraphs the action. Was it all a dream? Do reporters become cynical from working on a newspaper? Dr. Foster visits the newspaper to confirm Patricia Hunter's story. They plan a ruse to catch Dr. Lorentz. Will it work as planned? Will the police shoot first and ask questions later? Can the clever plan of Dr. Lorentz fail? Will bodies pile up to provide an ending?

Is this the worst horror film with Bela Lugosi as a villain? You can see the tight editing and low budget for this Monogram film. Higher production values would have made a better film of this story, which is a variation on the vampire legend but without the supernatural events. Could they ever use body parts for living persons? That reference to "new tires" is a joke about wartime rationing. Gasoline rationing also controlled travel.

Bela does his best to breathe some life into this film but unfortunately, it's dead on arrival! There is an occassional redeeming scene but the story line is just too weak for the film to stay afloat. Unless you're looking for a cure for insomnia avoid this stinker at all costs!

In comparison to most of the other films Lugosi made for Sam Katzman, this one isn't all that bad. Katzman, of course, was a master at rehashing the same old story again and again, and this one is no exception. The real villain in this film is the tired, stale plot which, like many others, injects a brassy, annoying newspaper reporter into the story, along with a dim-witted photographer; as always, the reporter eventually solves the mystery. Lugosi does his best with the script, which would have been better had it been approached with a bit of originality. Of course, if it had involved a fresh approach, it wouldn't have been a Sam Katzman film. Still, it is a mildly entertaining film at times, and should be enjoyed as such. Just don't expect to see a classic.

The Plot: Young brides appear to die on their wedding day. But where are their corpses? They have vanished! Heady stuff. It turns out that Dr. Lorenz (Bela Lugosi) had flowers delivered to the brides. The flowers were a bit different than those you might get from your local florist. These flowers caused the brides to go into a deathlike coma.

Dr. Lorenz had a pretty good racket going until reporter Patricia Hunter (Luana Walters, whose career was winding down though she was only 29 when she appeared in this film) got suspicious of the unusual flowers received by the brides. A good reporter is nosy as well as observant, and Patricia soon locates Dr. Lorenz.

Dr. Lorenz has a house full of weird people, as any good mad scientist would have. His kooky wife Countess Lorenz (Elizabeth Russell) welcomes Patricia by slapping Patricia's face. A strange hulking man called Angel (boxer Frank Moran, who appeared in dozens of movies, including "The Princess and the Pirate" and "Road to Utopia") makes a mysterious appearance in Patricia's guest bedroom. There are other weirdoes, but I would be remiss if I failed to mention Angelo Rossitto as Toby. Angelo would have a defining moment in his career as the Master of Master Blaster in "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome." Rossitto also appeared in one of my favorite movies, "Something Wicked This Way Comes," in addition to "Carousel," "Samson and Delilah," "Dementia" and dozens more movies and television episodes.

Most of the rest of this movie involves lurking and dramatic moments until the thrilling (would I kid you about thrilling?) ending. We get to find out why the brides are disappearing. Hint: It involves good-looking Countess Lorenz and a needle. Eventually it all works out, as movies from this era tend to do.

I always wonder whether I should recommend a movie like this one or tell you to avoid it like the plague. I liked this movie, but then again, I tend to find some movies watchable that others would run away from shrieking in horror. Fans of campy thrillers and Bela Lugosi might find this movie worth watching at least once. I am not sure this movie is worth watching twice unless you REALLY like campy thrillers and Bela Lugosi. I rated this movie three stars because I like Lugosi in this film and there were enough weird characters in this film to give the film some interesting moments. Of course, if you fail to find any of these things I describe interesting, running away shrieking in horror might be a good alternative. Or you may wish that YOU had vanished.

Good luck!

A slew of abducted corpse cases have occurred recently. If that isn't unusual enough, the kidnapped bodies are all brides-to-be who mysteriously faint to their demise during their respective wedding ceremonies. The discovery of an orchid with an unusual sweet scent is found nearby the latest victim by newspaper reporter Pat Hunter (Luana Walters). Further investigating reveals that all the bride corpses had possession of the same species of orchid. Now who would have the capability of cultivating such a rare flower that would coincide with the disappearances? Why, our main man Bela Lugosi, of course! After all, you can't exactly purchase youthful glands to help preserve your wife's beauty at the corner market! One of the better Monogram B-movies with Lugosi at the helm, with a psuedo-Addams Family atmosphere, the vertically challenged Angelo Rossitti and plenty of coffins to go around (even one of the main supporting actors has the (real?) last name of Coffin; 'Natch.) 6.5/10

Bela Lugosi reached the high water mark of his film career in the 1930s; by the 1940s, however, his career was in freefall, and while there would be a handful of memorable films left to him, they were very few and very far between between. A 1942 Monogram production, THE CORPSE VANISHES wasn't the worst film Lugosi ever made, but it came close enough.

The story, such as it is, concerns a series of brides who seem to drop dead during their weddings--and to make matters worse, their bodies are stolen shortly thereafter. The police are baffled, but intrepid girl reporter Pat Hunter (Luana Walters) discovers that all the brides wore a strangely scented orchid corsage. Pat tracks the orchid to horticuluralist and mad scientist Dr. Lorenz (Lugosi), who is snatching up the brides to drain them of bodily fluids need by his decaying wife (Elizabeth Russell.) Although the brides seem dead, they are actually kept alive in suspended animation until they are drained dry. With the aid of Dr. Foster (Tris Coffin), Pat decides to stage a wedding that will lure Dr. Lorenz to his doom. Unfortunately, the whole thing takes takes sixty-four minutes to do, and by the time the credits roll you'd swear it had actually taken one hundred ninety-two.

Lugosi, as usual, gives the whole thing one hundred ten percent, and it is always a pleasure to see Elizabeth Russell, an actress who is particularly associated with Val Lewton and such films as CAT PEOPLE. In truth, the major players aren't at all bad. They just don't have anything to work with in terms of plot or script. Is it any wonder that the infamous Mystery Science Theatre 3000 took on this particular title? None at all! Hardcore Lugosi and Russell fans will want to see THE CORPSE VANISHES, but all others are warned away!

GFT, Amazon Reviewer