O Espírito Escarlate

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.

Beginning, I believe, with their far-better serial, THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL, Republic Studios had a knack for disguising their criminal masterminds and leaving them masked until the last chapter (Republic probably got the idea from Fritz Lang's THE LAST TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE). Because it worked so well with CAPTAIN MARVEL, the studo would reuse it again and again (ie, DICK TRACY vs. CRIME INC., among others) and it got old fast.

However, with this one, the criminal mastermind has got the best looking mask of the bunch. He looks like a traditional, and fearsome, grim reaper incarnate and all he seems to lack is his scythe. Even this villain's name, "the Crimson Ghost," sounds like an alternate appellation that the grim reaper would call himself.

I personally dislike the action scenes the Ghost partakes in, because it almost belittles his mystical presence. He should sit majestically in a high chair, speaking orders, like Bond's Blofeld or all the other big league bad guys. He should let his minions do all the dirty work of fighting the heroes. When he puts up his dukes, smashes chairs, or even points a forty-five, he reduces his august presence and appearance. A mastermind should never belittle himself by acting like a henchman.

Originally, "The Crimson Ghost" was a movie serial that ran nearly three hours. However, somewhere along the line, someone sliced the film apart to shorten it and they colorized it. I saw this shorter colorized version. In some ways, it's a shame the serial was treated like this, but in some ways it's not too bad as most serials suffer from sluggish pacing when you see all the chapters at the same time....something that wasn't originally intended when they were made.

This story finds some goofy criminal boss trying to steal the secret to the Cyclotrode--a device designed to intercept and destroy atomic bombs! The boss is a goofy character...the Crimson Ghost. He runs about in the film dressed in a cloak and sporting a skeleton costume!! He also controls his many minions by injecting them with mind controlling drugs AND electronic collars which kill the user if they try to remove them! Can our rugged heroes manage to stop this evil genius?! What do you think?!

In many ways, "The Crimson Ghost" is like other serials. There are countless fights, countless miraculous survivals from deadly accidents and the film is short on characters but long on action and stunts.

So is it any good? Well, I'm not sure good or bad are the best ways to describe it...more like it's very typical of the genre. Additionally, it's important to point out that I am talking about the shortened version...the longer one may well totally stink. Overall, it's silly and full of inconsistencies (like other serials) but also a lot of fun to watch.

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.

very good serial. a lot of suspense and (for the time, hey, even now they will hold up) fast paced fight scenes, and a fast paced story. Buy this serial (but try to find your copy in black and white) and have fun with this classic.