Sombra Destemida

Classic bad over the top mess that is pure camp and a joy to watch. Bela Lugosi plays a mad scientist who discovers a new element and uses it to make one of the most ridiculous looking robots ever to grace the screen, an invisibility belt and some explosives. It's the typical everyone thinks I'm mad (even though I really am) so I'll hide away and get my revenge on those who slighted me and at the same time I'll try to take over the world. It's a blast. Oh yea its awful, but at this point its good awful. No doubt they were playing to the kids who watched the serials only to have it change into something else. Its classic nonsense. If nothing else it's a film to watch with friends and pick apart (Mystery Science Theater 3000 did several of the chapters). The best way to know what your reaction to the film is going to be is look for a picture of the great hulking robot, if you are a mused by it then by all means watch this. If you're repulsed by it then you may want to reconsider this as a viewing option. Recommended for those who want a silly good time.

(Try not to see the feature version of the serial. While not horrible its really not that good and it lost a great deal of the charm of the serial in the removing large chunks of plot)

This serial is really fun. I love the emoting of Bela Lugosi. He wants to rule the universe and, doggone it, nothing is going to stop him. There are many pitfalls along the way. One is the usual incompetent sidekick who can't follow orders worth a darn. Another is his inability to keep a low profile. He is always putting himself out there where someone is able to spoil his efforts. There are spies and government agents. His valuable meteor is stolen a couple of times but he quickly gets it back. There is one touching scene where he causes the death of his wife, but he quickly blames the government for her death. As with all serials, there are a series of cliffhanging endings to scenes and he always seems to come out unscathed. I have to admit I was actually pulling for him. The government agents are too boring to come out on top. You can't tell the spies from the government agents without a program. There is also this cool robot who suffers from the same infirmity of slow movement that seems to affect mummies in that other genre. It was interesting to see that it was Lugosi's character that caused the Hindenberg to burst into flame. He throws a little explosive dart at it from a plane. Who would have thought. Anyway, it's a lot of fun, it makes little sense, and at the end we feel a little cheated.

As with all such serials, THE PHANTOM CREEPS was intended to be watched in small doses, spread out over weeks and months. It was the short, 10-15 minute film that played before the main theater attraction.

As a feature, it's a mammoth, 4 hour-long marathon!

Still, Bela Lugosi is fantastic as the sinister Dr. Zorka. With his spider bombs, a belt that renders him invisible, and his killer robot, Zorka sets out to conquer the world.

Packed with explosions, fights, peril, and a general sense of anarchy, this series also has those wonderful "cliff hangers" and the obligatory rehash that's intended to get us all caught up on what just happened!

Great stuff...

As far as horror movies go id have to say this is a b-horror film... though its not really scary in the least. Maybe it's just my liking for Bela Lugosi, but I liked this movie.

And if you like his robot soldier in this movie you can see him again and again in the rob zombie music video "Dragula" dancing strangely in the back ground.

The acting in this movie isn't anything special, neither are the effects, but if you go into a 1939 low budget movie looking for either of those things then you should step back and take a look at why you even bother.

In the 30's and the 40's,universal(like republic pictures)produced many serials(action films viewed in chapters)dealing with superheroes,outer space,mad scientists and war, In this 12 chapter serial released by universal in 1939, bela lugosi(famous for playing vampires,mad doctors and monsters)plays doctor zorka,a mad doctor who has discovered an atomic meteorite,he harnesses its power,he then decides to sell it to spies,when a reporter(dorothy arnold) and a government agent(robert kent)set out to stop doctor zorka from destroying the world with the meteorite,they must battle spies,doctor zorka's explosive mechanical spiders and a giant robot through 12 chapters to save the world!an impressive serial,an incredible performance from lugosi and the supporting cast,and plenty of special effects,also seen in this serial is edward van sloan(who plays jarvis the spy chief) who starred along with bela lugosi in universals dracula(1931)!

it's worth watching