Thursday, December 18, 2025

1948 - THE AMAZING MR. X, is a fairly good little thriller

This not bad thriller about spiritualism has a nice gothic atmosphere to it mostly due to the cinematography of John Alton.  Alton bathed the film in lots of creepy light and shadows.  Alton was a pro he had photographed a very successful series of films working with director Anthony Mann.  They certainly brought out the best in each other with films like, T-Men, Border Incident, Devil's Doorway, Raw Deal and my personal favorite Reign of Terror. 


Anyway the story, two sisters living together in one of those expensive ocean side homes which they couldn't possibly afford believe they are being haunted by the ghost of the older sister's dead husband.  They consult a spiritualist who may or may not be the real thing but is definitely a smooth talker.  The spiritualist is played by some actor named Turhan Bey who is certainly a slick looking dude.  Also in the cast are femme fatale Lynn Bari, Cathy O'Donnell who was always a "girl next door" type and the ever reliable Richard Carlson who is probably remembered mostly for his science fiction films It Came From Outer Space, Creature From The Black Lagoon and Valley of the Gwangi. 

 

If this film has a flaw it's probably due to the improbable ending.  The filmmakers set up a fairly interesting situation but apparently couldn't figure out how to resolve it.  But this isn't the first film that had a messed up ending and it won't be the last one. 

The film was written by  Crane Wilbur, Muriel Roy Bolton and Ian McLellan Hunter, Hunter was a front for blacklisted writers during the Hollywood blacklist.  The running time is 78 minutes. 

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