Customer Reviews

Invisible Ray [VHS]

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

 

 

This is my favorite Boris Karloff - Bela Lugosi movie. Rukh (Karloff) learns to capture and project light rays from the past, not bad effects for 1936. He proves to Benet (Lugosi) that radium-x, 1000 times more powerful than uranium, is in Africa from a meteor that crash there years ago. Going to Africa, Rukh becomes poisoned by radium-x and everything he touches dies. Benet discovers an antidote but not a cure and eventually Rukh becomes a killer out for revenge, believing Benet and the party that went to Africa has stolen his discovery.

I hope Universal will put this one on DVD.

Part sci-fi, part standard mad doctor on murderous rampage, this is nevertheless a must-see for golden age horror buffs. The story of Karloff discovering Radium X and how it turns him into a glowing killer is pretty dated. You'll cringe at some of the "science". But the fast pacing, sets and characterizations make this decent fun. Karloff is pretty hammy, and Bela surprisingly not (usually it's the reverse). View this in the context of its time and with the spirit of a Universal horror fan, and The Invisible Ray will give you a pretty electric feeling!

Though it doesn't reach the heights of "The Black Cat" (1934), "The Invisible Ray" (1936) remains an intriguing Karloff-Lugosi vehicle with its offbeat mixture of horror and sci-fi elements. For both actors, it's a definite change of pace. Boris chews the scenery as the radiation-poisoned scientist, while Bela effectively underplays his part as the sympathetic colleague. The film might have been stronger if Karloff and Lugosi had switched roles. Still, "The Invisible Ray" survives as a memorable chiller and John Fulton's special effects are excellent.

The Invisible Ray was yet another teaming between Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi coming off their successful 1934's The Black Cat and 1935's The Raven. While the Invisible Ray is not as good as these films, it is very underrated and stands up quite well as a horror/sci-fi film. Karloff gets more screen time but Lugosi at least has more to do in this film than he would in 1940's Black Friday where his role was minimal.

Karloff is eccentric scientist Janos Rukh and his much younger wife Diana is played by Frances Drake. Rukh is visited at his castle in the Carpathian Mountains by scientists Sir Francis Stevens and Dr. Felix Benet (Lugosi) along with Lady Stevens and her nephew Ronald. I sure would like to know how scientists can afford these big castles in all these old horror films. Ronald and Diana have an immediate attraction to each other who are much closer in age than she and her husband Janos. Benet is skeptical of Rukh's ability but is soon proven wrong. Rukh has invented a kind or Ray/Time machine projector that allows them to see back into Earth's long past and see a meteor striking Africa millions of years ago.

The entire group is off to Africa to locate the meteor and the mysterious element known as Radium X. Rukh leaves his wife and the rest of the group behind in the sweltering jungles while he is off with the native guides to try and find the meteor. While he's gone the attraction between Diana and Ronald develops into a full-blown romance. Janos finds the element and soon fashions an invisible ray that can literally melt solid rock but can be used for good if its power can be harnessed and remains in the jungle for further testing. But the Radium X has poisoned Rukh. In the dark his face and hands begin to glow and he soon finds his touch can kill within seconds. Benet creates a temporary antidote but Rukh will have to take it for the rest of his life and Benet warns it could have negative effects on the mind.

When Rukh's wife runs off with Drake and Benet and Stevens take their own samples of Radium X., Rukh condemns them all as thieves and vows revenge. He follows the entire group to Paris and then fakes his own death. He then tracks them down and kills them one by one until the last few decide and set a trap for him.

While not a classic, The Invisible Ray, one of the last horror films of the initial horror cycle in the 30's, as a lot of strong elements. The opening segments and Rukh's castle and the dark, story night are reminiscent of Frankenstein with plenty of gadgets and electricity machines. Jack Pierce is the uncredited make-up man as well. The film was directed by Lambert Hillyer who would also direct Dracula's Daughter, also released in 1936. Karloff is a bit hammy as the mad scientist but that's what makes these films so fun. Lugosi gets to actually play the good guy here as Dr. Benet who uses Radium X to cure blindness and other maladies and tries to help Rukh to no avail. Solid Horror film.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Universal Studios took time off from Frankenstein flicks and vampires long enough to produce this early sci-fi thriller. Dr. Janos Rukh (Karloff) theorizes that a meteor of the nebula Andromeda crashed into the Earth eons ago. After finding the meteor in Africa, Rukh suffers a fiendish transformation caused by contact with Radium X, a powerful element from outer space. His body glowing with eerie special effects, and his mind frazzled by chemical poisons, Rukh sets out to destroy his enemies. His very touch is deadly. He is a grim angel of death in a slouch hat and a dark coat. He leaves day-glow handprints on his victims. He uses his ray gun (powered by Radium X) to melt a statue at a nearby church after each murder. The complicated plot goes off in all directions, but holds the interest. Karloff and Lugosi collaborated on many films, and this is one of their best. Bela's three-dimensional portrayal of a brilliant but ambitious scientist blends the light and dark of the human soul. He develops a counter-active drug for Rukh but warns him it is not a cure, only a temporary measure to ease the symptoms. He warns that failure to administer the drug carefully will cause Rukh to crumble to ash. Lugosi's slicked-back hair and pointed goatee makes him appear especially demonic, even as he heals children. Viewers that recall Bela starring in an endless string of low-budget turkeys, looking old and tired, will appreciate him in his prime. Karloff's frizzy hair symbolizes the scrambled brains of his character. His trademark scowl hi-lighted by his tortured eyes effectively round out his portrayal. Classic horror fun for kids of all ages. ;-)

This is a film many horror fans pass by but, it is an interesting early Karloff and Lugosi team up. There is no Jack Pierce monster make up in this one but, the FX are very good for the time. The film is available on DVD and the transfer in very good. The set is called the Bela Lugosi franchise collection and it is worth picking up for this and the four other horror films included.

Boris Karloff ,after toiling in the cinematic vineyards for years without much success ,achieved fame as Frankenstein's Monster -the creation of a mad scientist .In this movie he gets promoted to playing the crazed scientist himself ,one Dr Janos Rukh ,a man who when in Africa finds a strange meteorite .When he touches the glowing rock he is contaminated by a substance he labels Radium X which renders him lethal to the touch ,once the daily doses of antidote wear off .He deploys his new found killing power on his unfaithful wife (Freances Drake),her lover and indeed most of the cast before the movie reaches its climaz

Karloff in his first horror movie outing without heavy makeup is moving and dignified as ever and Lugosi as ever complements him admirably .The acting elsewhere is less compelling but overall this works well.Lambert Hillyer -who made the wonderful Dracula's Daaughter in the same year-directs with brio ;the efefcts are for their day admirable ,and this is a good minor shocker .It may well be the first movie to echo those grand old horror sentiments "There are somethings that man is not meant to know"- a line spoken in the movie

This is a good little movie and I recommend it to your notice

This film is o.k. But the plot is dumb. Boris Karloff has a bigger part and not a very excing one, than costar Bela Lagosi. The title has nothing to do with the story and the makeup is bad. The film is wierd so I would rather watch The Black Cat, The Raven or Murders in the Rouge Morge.

I am a HUGE Karloff and Lugosi fan. I've looked
all over and finally found this movie here
on Amazon.com, so I snatched it up.

This movie is Okay. It didn't grab me. In Fact,
I put it on and found myself doing other things
around the house. It's a classic and it's good for
what it is, and for the time that it came out,
but I enjoy the Karloff/Lugosi
movies The Raven and The Black Cat way more.