Le Retour du Docteur X

Had this film not cast Humphrey Bogart as the title mad scientist, this film would probably regarded as just another 1930's big studio "B" thriller. Bogart tries hard , but he is Bogart, and its just to hard to take seeing him playing an executed mad scientist brought back from the dead who is now a scientific vampire. Supposedly, Boris Karloff was slated to play the title role, but was not available.

I have to admit I was very impressed with the films art direction (credited to Esdras Hartley.) The laboratory of Dr. Flegg consists of a maze of glass tubes dripping a dark fluid in beakers, and has the look of a giant circulatory system, reflecting the films emphasis on blood.

Hollywood legend has it that Bogart was having trouble with WB brass at the time with the type roles they were giving him. The WB brass wanted to punish him by casting him in this and KING OF THE UNDERWORLD in order show Bogie who was boss.

If you're container is filled up with blood type 1, there's a chance that you may be emptied and then gone, as it's required by a cadaver, to remain as life's gate crasher, although he's generally quite guarded and withdrawn (and quite pale and anaemic to boot and not particularly pleasant).

It's not the greatest rip off (in part) of a Mary Shelley classic you might be familiar with, and it's probably Bogart's worst film, certainly of the ones I've seen, although he does an admirable impression of Boris Karloff lite, which I'm sure he must have relished - I fancy Cagney had a good giggle too. The rest of the performances are as stereotyped for the time as any although, coming in at a smidgen over 1 hour, it won't leave you feeling or looking as jaded as the titular Doctor.

Fans of Bogey like to Scoff at this "Miscasting" and Bogart would Demean and Destroy this Movie at the Drop of a Hat, but...Bogart shows Range and Style and is as Creepy as They Come.

Playing a Resurrected Mad Scientist with a Blood Craving Disease He manages to Steal the Movie. Not that Hard considering it is not really a Return or Sequel, the Dated Comedy elements Threaten to Sink the Thing from the start, and this Short LIttle B-Picture was not really Warner Brothers Forte.

It's a genuine Horror Film nonetheless with enough Lurid and Scary elements to Sustain the Shortcomings. Although Bogart makes it His Film, some others also Impress. John Litel as the Serious Scientist trying to Find a Cure for Diseased Blood and Lya Lys as an Actress falling Victim to the Madness shines in few Brief Scenes.

Can be Appreciated Out of Context for Humphrey Bogart's Iconic Career and the Comedy inclusions Ignored, This is a Pretty Good Entry in Thirties Horror.

As others have pointed out, this really isn't a sequel to the 1932 film "Doctor X." Too bad....it might have been better had it been. Not that this is bad; it isn't, but isn't anything to write home about, either. Thanfully, it's only 62 minutes. Had this been 20 minutes longer, it would have been a yawner.

First, for a "horror" picture, this isn't much horror. Actually there is no horror, nothing in here that is going to frighten the most timid of souls. The only strange- looking person is Humphrey Bogart and all classic film buffs will do is laugh when they see "Bogie" in here. With a plastic-looking face and some weird hair coloring, you want to laugh out loud when you first see him.

Wayne Morris and Dennis Morgan are the real stars of the film. They are in almost every scene, with Morris as reporter "Walter 'Wichita' Garrett" and Morgan as "Dr. Mike Rhodes." John Litel plays a Dr. Frankenstein-type character in "Dr. Flegg," a key member of this cast.

This movie is almost all talk until the 59-minute mark when "Dr. X" makes a run for it and gets involved in gunfire. Yet, it's never boring, either. The scenes move quickly from place to place and plays more like a crime film than anything else. Typical of early '30s crime movies, we get some corny humor from one of the characters, in this case from Morris.

Kudos to the Hollywood Legends Of Horror series to make this DVD transfer so nice looking. It's part of an attractive package of 1930s horror films.

Reporter Wayne Morris and doctor Dennis Morgan team up to investigate some murders and a possible connection to people with a rare blood type. This leads them to suspect doctor John Litel and his creepy assistant Humphrey Bogart. In-name-only sequel to Doctor X that is best known today as Humphrey Bogart's only horror or science fiction film. As such, it's usually mocked or joked about. It really doesn't deserve to be. It's not a great film but a perfectly entertaining hour-long horror flick. Bogart's performance is fine. His nervous twitches and weird makeup give him a creepy presence that is the film's most memorable asset. For those looking to see him act much worse, I suggest seeking out more mainstream-acceptable fare as Dark Victory.

Interestingly, Bogie doesn't even get top billing. Neither does Dennis Morgan. Both are billed below Wayne Morris and Rosemary Lane. This seems odd today when Bogart and Morgan are more well known to classic film fans than either Morris or Lane. But in 1939 neither was a big star yet. Morgan was an up-and-comer and Bogie had been toiling away at WB for years as the villain in gangster pictures. Still, it seems strange WB at that time thought Wayne Morris had more potential than Bogie or Morgan. Morris is actually the weakest link in the film. He was an actor with a big frame and a boy-next-door likability but was ill-suited for a streetwise investigative reporter. The fact that he wore a silly hat with the brim turned up in front and was pretty much comic relief for the first half hour of the movie doesn't help the audience take him seriously. The supporting cast is nice. Rosemary Lane receives second billing and is the female lead but really has nothing to do but be the victim. I haven't added up everybody's screen time but it seems to me she was in the picture very little. Huntz Hall of Bowery Boys fame appears as a copy boy who needles Morris. Lya Lys has a meatier part than Lane as a woman brought back to life in the same manner Bogart was. She even allows herself to be made up to look waxy and dead, which was a big deal back in the day for any actress who wanted to be thought of as a romantic leading lady. John Litel turns in a typically stable performance as the doctor behind bringing Bogie back. He actually seems to be the movie's villain for most of the running time before Bogie's Dr. X takes over.

Overall, an enjoyable B horror film that should please fans of the genre. It's unfairly slammed a lot, even more than the usual B movie from the period. My guess is that's because a lot of Bogart fans who don't normally like this type of movie checked it out for him and didn't like it. The movie definitely garners more attention because of his part than it would otherwise. At its heart it's just another in a string of mad scientist movies made from the '30s through the '50s, albeit an enjoyable one. If you're a Bogart completist, I'm sure you'll want to check it out for curiosity's sake. Hopefully you'll like it. Fans of old sci-fi and horror films will definitely enjoy it.