Customer Reviews

The Devil Commands

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Boris Karloff made a series of pictures for Columbia during the late 30s and early 40s, usually playing mad scientists. This is his maddest scientist of the lot. Based (very) loosely on "The Edge of Running Water," a popular story by William Sloane, the film concerns the attempts of Boris to communicate with his late, very beloved wife. To do so, he enlists the help of a medium and several stolen corpses, who are seated around a table in robotic diving helmets and subjected to huge amounts of electricity. The townspeople are growing suspicious of Boris and so he is visited by the sheriff. (Kenneth MacDonald, who later went on to star as a foil for the Three Stooges in several shorts.) The sheriff, in turn, calls Boris's long lost daughter (Amanda Duff) to come and fetch her father. But Boris decides she is perfect suited for the experiment, and so uses her to get in touch with the wife. Watch for the great scene when the maid, coaxed by the sheriff to do a little snooping, gets locked in Boris's laboratory with the seated corpses and the electricity on. Directed by Edward Dmytryk at a crisp 65 minutes.

Ok so it's a lot of money to pay for a film made in 1941 with no extra's but if your a Karloff or Vintage Horror lover it's worth the money.
I thought the picture quality was good..not stunning, but as clear as watching a movie on tv.
As for the film - it's one of the most interesting Karloff made during the 30's and 40's.
But if Columbia want a big seller on their hands they'll release 'The Black Room' & 'The Man They Could Not Hang' on a double bill disc.

Prenial favorite Boris Karloff stars as a scientist who has created a helmet then when placed on the head of a subject can transfer their brainwaves onto a graph. Kind of like a lie detector graph. He discovers that women have stronger waves of brain energy then men. He demonstrates this to a room full of fellow scientists and friends, by using his wife an an example. Her brain waves are indeed stronger and much to the amazement of his skeptical friends the graph on the wall jumps up and down! Later after his wife dies in a car accident, Boris returns to his lab and angrily throws switches and discovers that his wife's energy has returned to the lab! He now joins up with a spiritualist and a bruteing Igor type to further his experiments and try and contact his beloved wife from beyond the grave. Holds up quite well today. The seance table surrounded by corpses, the swirling spirits appearing as a funnel of energy and King Karloff in all his maniacal glory. My only complaint is the short running time of only 65 min. The last 5 minutes look rushed but still the movie wraps up nicely. Now as to the transfer...it is just o.k. Columbia started out great with their brilliant William Castle titles, but seem to care less and less about these more recent releases. The pre-print on Devil Commands could use digital cleaning up. And come on Columbia, not even the trailor!!?? and a 65 min. movie retailing for [money]!!!! It is unfortuante that some people that might have slapped down [money] and took a chance on a movie that has such a cool title will definately think twice before paying over [money]. In closing, Columbia/Tristar Look at the GHOUL released by M.G.M. and see what a great transfer should look like. Still over all recommended.

Movie: ***1/2 DVD Quality: **1/2 Extras: **1/2

A fun little "B" horror film from 1941 with the redoubtable Boris Karloff playing the kind of "mad doctor" role he could pull off with effortless aplomb. What makes this one a notch above the average is that Karloff is up against an unusual foil --- a scheming female medium, formidably played by the superb character actress Anne Revere (just three years away from winning her Oscar for "National Velvet"). Watching an unhinged Karloff and a toughly villainous Revere sparring together on-screen is a real treat, and they're given excellent support by a supporting cast that includes Amanda Duff as Karloff's daughter and wide-eyed Dorothy Adams playing another of her patented domestic roles (she is perhaps best remembered as Gene Tierney's housekeeper in the classic "Laura"). The main plotline is fairly cliched, with Karloff as yet another bereaved husband trying to contact his deceased wife from beyond the grave, but there are some great set decorations and moody cinematography that liven up the proceedings. And at a mere 65 minutes of running time, director Edward Dmytryk (like Revere, an eventual victim of the Hollywood blacklist) keeps things humming along nicely.

Columbia's DVD transfer is wildly uneven. There are sections where the video quality is superb; sadly, there are also long stretches plagued by white lines running through the frame, and some frequent spotting. The sound is fairly good throughout. DVD extras consist of three trailers for more recent Columbia horrors; there are no features pertaining to "The Devil Commands" itself. Overall, the DVD will appeal primarily to genre fans in general, and Karloff devotees in particular. Others may not be so appreciative of the film's charms, but there are certainly worse ways to spend an hour and five minutes.

Karloff fans should probably be happy that this rarity, which never appeared on commercial VHS, has been made available by the original studio in the new format. As it is, this DVD is definitely worth having for the movie alone. But the price should reflect the content. On the outer packaging, we are told the film has been "remastered in high definition". This may be the truth, but in remastering the movie, numerous scratches and other imperfections were certainly not remedied. Fortunately, the best parts of the film (the first 20 or so minutes and the finale) do look rather fine, and there is plenty of clarity in the image along with that silvery quality that some associate with older films.

THE DEVIL COMMANDS is a low-budget production, but director Edward Dmytryk (MURDER, MY SWEET and others) knew how to establish a sinister atmosphere and sustain it for 64 minutes. This is sort of a 'haunted house meets mad scientist movie'. There are elements of science-fiction (very sketchy science) and horror (communication with the dead). The film is short and moves quickly, at less of an expense to plot development than one might think. In its own terms and within its genre, this film is quite plausible, and very enjoyable.

Karloff is extremely good at portraying a well-meaning scientist and loving husband who must gradually transform into an obsessed near-maniac. "Near-maniac" because he does not willfully harm anyone, but only commits "ethical" crimes like grave-robbing. When the doctor's wife is killed in a freak accident, he puts his new theory to work, trying to communicate with her spirit in the afterlife. There are some downright creepy moments, courtesy of Karloff's character, a tragically damaged lab assistant, and the formidable presence of Anne Revere (whose name does not appear on the DVD box cover). An actress who could achieve a facial expession that would have intimidated King Kong AND Godzilla. Revere, as Mrs. Walker, a phony medium, takes charge of Karloff and his experiments, which she sees as the key to ruling the world someday. A number of misfortunes ensue and there is a marvelous climax in the darkly-lit laboratory (involving the housekeeper, well realized by Dorothy Adams who bears an uncanny resemblance to the young Gilda Radner) that is really pretty unique. The supporting cast is fine, apart from the dullards who play Karloff's daughter and her fiancé.

Apart from scene selections, the DVD contains only three trailers from recent Columbia horror films. It does not contain any trailer for THE DEVIL COMMANDS. A must for Karloff enthusiasts. It should appeal to any fan of 30s and 40s horror films.

So it was about 1960,and I was just a 10-year-old boy growing up in Houston,Texas...
and watching a local weekend TV show called "The MidNite Zone" [sic] which featured various sci-fi and horror movies.

One of those movies REALLY made an impression on me. The legendary BORIS KARLOFF with a character involved in a mysterious experiment...a chart of brainwaves,and
a whirlpool...I was only able to watch it halfway through,being it was so late at
night...I wouldn't hear about this movie again until a few years later,when narrator
Joseph Cotten mentioned it in the documentary "Hollywood And The Stars": "Boris Karloff is most at home when he's involved in a diabolic experiment!" And they showed a clip from this movie....but WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THE MOVIE??

So I emailed Sara Karloff (the actor's surviving daughter,Sara Karloff Enterprises). Her people told me about "THE DEVIL COMMANDS"...and I bought the DVD...I just saw the movie in its entirety!! 50 years late but better
late then never.

This is an INCREDIBLE masterpeice with astounding sophistication for such an old (1941) movie. The acting is great,the effects are fine,and the story (adapted from a book) is really disturbing. (What if a scientist could open the door to Eternity in the attempt to communicate with the dead? That could destroy the world!!) Simple story,but VERY effective,dealing with such complex issues. Black-and-white "noir",yes,but it drives the point home. I was surprised to find out that the music was handled by Morris Stoloff (credited as "M. Stoloff") later responsible for music from the 1956 movie "Picnic" (and notable others).

Should be required viewing for all KARLOFF fans and anybody who appreciates horror/
science fiction. (BTW,if you could only have 3 KARLOFF movies,they should be: FRANKENSTEIN,THE DEVIL COMMANDS,and YOU'LL FIND OUT (a real oddity,a horror-comedy-
musical!)

Boris Karloff plays a scientist working on interpreting brainwaves. After losing his wife in a car accident, Boris delves into the realm of the supernatural, believing he can communicate w/ the dead! He teams up w/ a fake medium, accidentally creates a mute, zombie-like henchman, and moves his operation to a spooky, cliffside mansion. The bizarre experiments continue, resulting in death and doom! THE DEVIL COMMANDS is an excellent mad science yarn, loaded w/ creepy atmosphere and interesting characters. One of my favorite Boris movies...

Awesome and terror-inspiring would sum up my thoughts on this movie. I had many a bad dream as a child growing up in the '50s and '60s after seeing this movie, and it still reaches out to grab me. Of course, few could inspire sheer terror as Mr. Karloff could.

Not gory or bloody, but a nightmare-creating monster, nonetheless.

Finally, " The Devil Commands" is here on DVD. Why carp about no extras..This is a surreal excursion into the supernatural with a rather noirish blend of atmosphere.

Ann Revere adds to the excitement and at one time most folks thought that the narration was a bit tepid, however it is important and helps the film move along. This is one of Edward Dmytryks first works and its one of the best Karloff Kolumbia efforts..

C Pope

A kindly, absent-minded scientist loses his wife suddenly and decides to modify his brain-wave measuring invention to communicate with his dead spouse from beyond the grave.

THE DEVIL COMMANDS opens onto a dark and stormy night with a sad sounding woman, the Mad Scientist's daughter, providing a voice-over narration. The narrator throws us into a deep flashback where a happy Dr. Boris Karloff is showing off his new invention, a primitive electroencephlogram gadget (the EEG was developed in the 1930s, so this is relatively new technology) that features a six foot tall, wall mounted graph. The person whose brain is being scanned is fitted with a head strap that's covered with what looks to be a deep sea diving helmet. Dr. Julian Blair (Karloff) believes this device will help him talk to his dead wife. As he puts it, his brain scanner will allow `controlled and scientific communication between the living and the so-called dead.' The crowd of admiring fellow scientists are wowed by the machine, dismissive of the planned application.

Not so the charlatan spiritual medium Mrs. Walters (Anne Revere), who may be a fraud but, more to Dr. Blair's purpose, is able to take a 10,000 volt charge with nary a murmur (`Why, it only takes 1000 volts to electrocute a man!') Not so, either, poor, loyal Karl (Ralph Penney.) Without giving too much away, let's just say you NEVER trust Karloff when he's in Mad Scientist mode and assures you, as he's strapping on the electrodes, that `I won't let thith hurt you.' Karloff probably believes it when he says it, too, but likely as not you'll end up mute, uncontrollably drooling and lucky if you're able to understand `Sit,' `Stay,' `Go lock the laboratory doors,' and, especially, `No, Karl. No!' And so, with Karl and the frosty Mrs. Walters in tow Dr. Blair moves to Creepy Mansion, where he can, hopefully, continue his experiments undisturbed.

For a short (65-minute), cheap b-movie THE DEVIL COMMANDS is eminently entertaining. The lighting is moody, the acting (especially Karloff and Revere) is appropriately creepy, and some of the sets are brilliant. Especially the lab at the creepy mansion, which may not have cost much but is a hoot and a half.