The Devil Commands

source: The Devil Commands

What happens after a body dies? Does the brain die instantly like the rest of the body, or does it desperately reach out to expose its last thoughts? This is what scientist Boris Karloff is desperate to find out in this silly science fiction film where the brain in question is that of his beloved wife who is suddenly taken from him in a freak accident. Karloff's daughter is scared of the reclusive turn dad takes all of a sudden and is horrified by his sudden retirement from the university he works in and the sudden move he makes to a New England coastal town with local fake spiritualist Anne Revere. The community they move to are instantly suspicious of their odd behavior, and when their housekeeper doesn't come home from work one day, they storm the cliff side mansion to confront the owners. Karloff tries to hold back from being hammy in his low-key performance, but it is obvious a variation of roles he had played many times before, most recently in several other films at Columbia ("The Man They Could Not Hang", "Before I Hang"). Anne Revere is another dark villainess in the shadow of Gale Sondergaard and Judith Anderson's recent turns as somberly dressed housekeepers in films such as "The Cat and the Canary" and "Rebecca". Her performance, however, is closer to that of Rafaela Ottiano's in "The Devil Doll", with a touch of Gloria Holden's vampire in "Dracula's Daughter". The moody cliff side mansion is a memorable photographic shot, and the laboratory that Karloff and Revere live in is one that Edward D. Wood Jr. would envy. A Lon Chaney Jr. like monster, having gone from being somewhat normal to a dominated servant, comes off like Universal's later horror goon, Glenn Strange. Unlike some other genuine bad movies, "The Devil Commands" is actually pretty fun to watch, definitely worthy of a single watching by horror movie enthusiasts. But it has a been-there, done-that feeling about it, and a genuine lack of imagination in it script and execution that makes this a poor entry in the second era of sound horror films.

This film was a bit of a Holy Grail for me - I saw it many many years ago as a a child, (not on the original release - I'm not that old!) and it gave me many a treasured thrill. So I came back to this film hoping it would somehow survive my growing up and increased critical perceptions. Many a childhood scare has been displayed as utterly terrible by the cold light of adulthood - Man Without A Body is one such movie - so I had some trepidation on going back to it. I needn't have worried; The Devil Commands still holds up well, and after a slightly slow first half picks up with fine aplomb when Boris Karloff takes up residence in an old New England mansion. And you just know he's up to no good! Karloff plays a respected University professor who is trying to invent a device that can enable the transmission of thoughts across vast distances, a sort of "brain telephone" if you will. On the tragic death of his wife in a car accident Karloff discovers he can still detect her brain waves through the instrument, and begins a new line of enquiry...that of contacting the dead. Taking up with a spirit medium, played by a splendidly icy Ann Revere, Karloff is soon robbing graves and conducting unholy experiments. The change in his physical appearance about half-way through, is quite startling even today. Boris is in terrific form, giving a restrained and understated performance. And the film has some piquant black and white ghoulish chills. Compared to such bottom of the barrel dross as Lugosi's Ape Man and Karloff's own The Ape, this is a great little "B" well worth checking out.

One of several "Mad Doctor" films Boris Karloff made for Columbia Pictures in the '40s and often considered one of the best of that group by many fans. It's not bad, but it's only a notch above average in my estimation. Here we have Karloff as a scientist who has discovered a device for reading people's brain waves and then becomes obsessed with the idea of trying to communicate with his recently deceased wife. He enlists the aid of a somewhat eccentric phony mystic (Anne Revere) who becomes the dominant force in the partnership and sets the course for some potentially disastrous events. This movie was directed by Edward Dmytryk, so at least it enjoys some spirited dashes of mood and dreary lighting, which is one thing that elevates it just over the line of the ordinary. It's interesting to see long-time Three Stooges foil Kenneth MacDonald as a sheriff who suspects that strange goings-on are underfoot in Boris' mysterious house, and Anne Revere's stoic and power-hungry medium is an added benefit. Still, there's something which seems to be lacking here to keep this one from rising above "B" level. Karloff is quite good as the eager but harried scientist, emitting a range of different emotions during the course of the picture. **1/2 out of ****

This well made little horror thriller belies its low budget with some really fine camera-work and good set design. The focus is on character and a plausible storyline, so that one seldom notices the limited use of locations or elaborate sets. For such a brief running time, the movie manages to seem leisurely and involving at the beginning, establishing the kindly and progressive Dr. Blair as a well meaning, cutting edge thinker, and not a clichéd mad scientist. Karloff makes the transition from lovable husband and father to fanatical experimenter so smoothly, that Dr. Blair always remains a believable, sympathetic character. Good supporting roles by Kenneth MacDonald as the local sheriff trying to keep the suspicious townsfolk from taking the law into their own hands, Dorothy Adams as the wary but tight lipped housekeeper, and Ralph Penney in the limited but very effective role of a mute lab assistant. Amanda Duff, who also narrates, as the daughter and Richard Fiske as the clean cut hero are effective. But the prize aside from Karloff has to go to Anne Revere as the truly sinister medium Mrs. Walters. She nearly steals every scene she's in, as the behind the scenes mentor and influence on Karloff, who makes it quite clear she's only in on the experiment for the potential fortune to be made if the Professor's communication device is a success. The original novel The Edge of Running Water by William Sloane is a far more detailed and involved story than this film adaptation, but the movie works very well for what it is. A larger budget and longer running time might have made it even better, but it stands as one of Karloff's best movies of the Forties, and a good, involving thriller well worth the viewer's time. Definitely recommended.

Miserable Boris Karloff horror movie. He is the head of the science department doing experiments on brain waves. When his wife dies in a tragic auto accident, this leads our scientist to his usual madness and mayhem proceeds. He is doing experiments with all sorts of bodies aided by an Igor type who introduces him to see Anne Revere. Anne Revere! Imagine that great actress involved in this nonsense. She is a brute here who encourages Karloff during his madness. When the maid of the lab finds out what is going on, she dies off and chaos ensues when the good professor will not tell the truth regarding her demise. It's just a horrible plot with miserable writing.

It is puzzling to me the uneven ratings that Karloff's films get. For example, the tiresome "The Ghoul" is rated almost the same as this film, though this is a much more satisfying horror film. The films in which Karloff is the tragic figure lured into the world of the macabre by fate, such as in "The Walking Dead", are among the best that he made, and this is one of them. The first few minutes of the film take the time to show how great Karloff, as Dr. Julian Blair, had it prior to one fateful rainy night. He is head of the science department of a university, respected by his colleagues, and husband of over twenty years to a wonderful woman. However, a fatal car accident rips her from his side, and he is never the same again. His former experiments which were seeking a way to electronically read the minds of the living are now transformed into a possible means by which he may contact the dead, specifically his wife. Unlike many horror films, this one explains how some of its rather clichéd ingredients appear - the isolated old dark house into which Blair moves to push toward finding a way to communicate with his dead wife, the harsh Mrs. Danvers-like woman that almost seems like a puppet-master to Blair, and finally an "Igor" like figure that acts as the mindless muscle to the doctor - all of these are explained as part of the plot. This film has some great scenes for a production-code horror film in which one could only go so far. However, the "seance of the dead" scenes are unfairly forgotten ones in 40's horror, probably because this film was made by Columbia not Universal. Do note the presence of Kenneth MacDonald as the practical and kindly sheriff, as he often appeared as the heavy in Columbia's Three Stooges shorts, and this is a different kind of role for him. Highly recommended for fans of old horror films and of Karloff.

I must confess to a degree of disappointment after having watched "The Devil Commands" the other night, after several years of waiting to do so. The memory of its excellent source novel, William Sloane's "The Edge of Running Water" (1937), is still very much with me from several years ago, you see, and I'm afraid that the film does suffer in comparison. The book has sharply drawn characters, a well-detailed plot (a scientist attempting to communicate with his dead wife), great suspense and a very satisfying windup. The film, unfortunately, has none of these things in much abundance. Still, there ARE some good things to be said for it. Boris Karloff, as usual, is wonderful, as is Anne Revere in her role as his assistant. The effects are more than passable, and, at a mere 65 minutes, there is no unnecessary padding. Indeed, the film can be accused of being not fleshed out enough! Several things aren't explained; even Boris' fate is never clearly shown, unlike his character's amazing finish in the book. This is a story that is truly ripe for a remake, if done faithfully and by a team that respects the source material. Still, I can think of many more fruitless ways to spend an hour than by curling up with "The Devil Commands."

In the 1930s, Boris Karloff was initially with a relatively important studio (Universal) and was enjoying a lot of success. Later, he did some dandy films for Warner Brothers, but he also made some grade-Z films for poverty row studio, Monogram. All these films were fun to watch and often a bit silly, but the Monogram ones were known for their very low production values and silly plots. After THE APE (1940), Karloff was thrilled to get out of his contract with Monogram and ready to go on to better things. It SHOULD have been that way when he made THE DEVIL COMMANDS for Columbia. Sure, like Universal in the 1930s, Columbia was not the biggest of studios but it did have decent budgets and production values and I expected this to be a much better style of film than THE APE....but unfortunately, it seemed a lot like the exact same old style of film and nothing more. Like THE APE and the rather bland Mr. Wong films for Monogram, this one was nothing special. It stars Karloff as a kindly scientist with the best of intentions that ultimately becomes a mad man--using science to create abominations. Considering how often he did this, the whole thing seems very, very derivative and stale. We've seen this all before and there is nothing that makes this film stand out from many others just like it. Also, the narration and the epilogue just seem heavy-handed and unnecessary. Is it fun and worth a look (particularly to lovers of B-horror films), yes. But it could have been so much better.

A likable horror/sci-fi (given a catchpenny but utterly meaningless title!) tailor-made for its star – despite its naïve approach to the supernatural (what with the goofy laboratory equipment that's a cross between medieval torture devices and an underwater suit!). The Gothic trappings included in the narrative (mystery house, seances, brutish 'zombie' manservant) don't sit too well alongside the scientific paraphernalia and jargon – and actually cheapen the film, though not quite to the level of the contemporaneous Bela Lugosi vehicles made by Poverty Row studios! Perhaps the most perplexing element in the film is the constant narration, which doesn't really serve any purpose: this was probably inspired by Hitchcock's REBECCA (1940) but also, curiously enough, ties it with the fatalistic voice-over that would soon become a film noir staple – and we all know what director Dmytryk achieved in that most influential subgenre (in fact, he's easily the best director with whom Karloff worked during his stay at Columbia – albeit in an early and, therefore, minor effort); here already, Dmytryk's proficiency for creating mood on a miniscule budget through careful lighting is well in evidence. By the way, I can't say for certain but the cliff setting from where Karloff and Anne Revere dispose of the body of the nosy maid may be the same that was utilized four years later for the climax of a marvelous Grade-B noir, MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (1945), also a Columbia picture (and which I finally caught up with while in Hollywood early this year)! Karloff is committed and persuasive as always as the scientist aching to communicate with his dear departed wife – a role which eerily predates many Peter Cushing would play in the 1970s (particularly following the death of his real-life wife!); however, the star is matched by co-star Revere as the domineering and vaguely sinister medium. As busy as the climax is, it's rather hurried: what with Karloff trying to convince his daughter's fiancé – conveniently, a scientist – of the fundamental value of his work but, failing to do so, has to knock him out before he can use his own daughter as guinea pig in his great experiment!; all the while, an angry torch-carrying mob (who seem to have stepped in from the set of some concurrent Universal production!) is hatching up a plan to stall Karloff's 'dangerous' research – but, as soon as they're about to storm the place, the whole edifice collapses around them (for reasons that are not entirely clear)!! While the least effective of the three Karloffs I've just watched for the first time, it's not a bad effort all around – and I still look forward to his two remaining (and, oddly, similarly-titled) Columbia vehicles, namely THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG (1939) and BEFORE I HANG (1940)…though I now know not to expect anything approaching the quality of his genuine classics from the Universal heyday!