The Crimson Ghost

A creepy looking masked villain makes trouble for all in this classic 40s Republic serial.

Firstly, I have been a fan of old time B&W serials since about 1997 but only found this one in January 2020. I generally go for the serials with some sort of science fiction element and for years was misled into thinking that this was about a ghost. But yes, this has the essential sci-fi element - The Crimson Ghost is outstanding.

My all-time favourite serial came a few years later - Columbia's Batman and Robin (1949) - and the plot for "Crimson" has elements of that show (for example the constant question about the identity of the masked villain).

I have only seen the edited 93 minute colorized version of "Crimson" and before you all reject the idea of seeing it colorized - hear me out! I have seen TV shows such as Gilligan's Island colorized and it makes me sick. But they have done such a good job with the sharp colors on "Crimson" that I welcomed it with open arms (but remember I have never seen it in B&W so that might impact my reaction to the new version?).

Because serials are a film genre I have always associated with being in B&W, seeing one in color with just plain odd - but odd in good way!

Whatever the case, be it be in color or B&W, edited or not edited, "Crimson" still stands as a mighty important part of 40s entertainment. Sharp dialogue, great editing, top music cues, just a knockout serial with a great villain.

Yes, Misfits brought me to this movie. (the reviewers stating Glenn Danzig "stole" the Crimson Ghost image for his band should understand that you can't "steal" from the Public Domain which The Crimson Ghost entered in 1971) I have watched both versions; the original serials and the colorized edited movie... if you go in with an open mind and accept it for what it is and the time period it was made, it's a fun movie to watch. The plot is silly, the acting is passable at best, and the actions sequences are cheesy, but hey it was 1946. The 6.5 rating here seems spot on so I'll give it a 7 to persuade anyone who is on the fence about giving it a try... Do It!!

During the 30's,40's,and 50's,republic pictures was known and remembered as the studio that produced some of the greatest action serials of all time!.In the"crimson ghost",a scientific maniac wearing a skull mask and a red robe steals an atomic device called the cyclotrode,which can stop cars,planes,and any electrical device,after it's inventor(kenne duncan) is kiddnapped and killed,a criminologist(charles quigley) and his female assistant(linda sterling) risk their lives through 12 chapters of action packed thrills to stop this maniac from building a larger cyclotrode and bring him to justice!there are many fight scenes and the music score is great too!(for the serial buffs,most of the music in this film is used from republic pictures mysterious doctor satan and dick tracy's g men)this film also stars clayton moore who is later known for playing the lone ranger. this is a great serial to watch for the serial buffs and for anyone who enjoys action,

I got this for Christmas (today), and it's great. The plot doesn't make much sense, the acting is barely acceptable, and the production values are "budget", but my kids and I think that it's a hoot. The story is something about a villain in a skull mask and a ray that will disable electrical equipment, but who cares? It's really about the square-jawed scientist and his beautiful and plucky assistant dashing about risking death to bring the master criminal to justice, with constant fight scenes (filmed at a slower rate so that people move with astonishing speed onscreen) and cliffhanging endings.

There are plenty of unintentionally funny moments, too, as when the gang leader's right-hand-thug (played by Clayton Moore, eventually to be the TV version of The Lone Ranger) returns with a piece of equipment and the leader hisses that it's a "cheap decoy" (as if it looks any cheaper than anything else on the set). If you think that you might like it, you will, and if you think that you'll hate it, you're probably right about that, too.

Source of the Skull face that was stolen by Glenn Danzig for one of his band The Misfits album covers and t-shirts. The serial itself is so over the top in images and ideas that its become the source of a minor cult and is one of the few non-Flash Gordon serials that my non-serial fan friends know about.

The plot has a scientist creating a machine called a "cyclotrode" which will stop atomic missiles from working. It will also stop other things which is why a skull clad villain known as the Crimson Ghost wants it.

This action filled serial is a great deal of fun thanks to one of the silliest looking villains in movie history. Taking the idea of a masked bad guy and placing it into the realm of camp you can't help but watch the craziness that ensues. The mask looks great but you can't believe anyone would actually listen to a guy in a mask like that. Helping things along is dialog that is unintentionally silly thanks to the passage of time(The heroine is given a diaphragm from which her orders will come). It plays like the old Batman TV show but with better action and with out the knowing wink to the audience. Frankly if it wasn't so unintentionally silly you would never have heard of this serial or seen its iconic villain, even if it was pretty good on its own terms.

Definitely worth a look, after all it isn't often you get to see Clayton "the Lone Ranger" Moore as a bad guy.