Continuing with the Karloff at Columbia series, Karloff’s been working on a “cure” for old age, but in the course of doing so he’s managed to kill someone (much like in the first film). This time, however, he manages to dodge the death sentence, and he perfects his age-reversing serum… but, in a Hands of Orlac-esque twist (or “blood of Orlac” at any rate?), the serum uses the blood of an executed murderer, which provides an obvious complication. This one’s my least favourite so far of Karloff’s “mad doctor” films (the doctor being not especially mad in this one); apparently the original title was The Wizard of Death which I think I like more cos it makes more sense, really. Think the main problem is that I just didn’t buy the film’s basic situation, i.e. that the doctor gets to actually continue his work in jail, first while on death row and then after he commuted to life before being pardoned (this latter part struck me as a particularly unlikely detail). Director Nick Grinde dresses it up again in some nice, effective shadows, but generally I felt it lacking a bit of overall energy. Still, obviously good to have Karloff leading things, and nice also to have Edward Van Sloan on board too.
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