Rating: 2.5/5
Dr. Vollin (Boris Karloff) is the only doctor who can save Jean Thatcher after a horrible car accident. Vollin falls for Jean while she’s under the knife, and Jean shows appreciation by performing a ballet inspired by The Raven.
Jean’s father, Judge Thatcher, notices Vollin’s attraction and tells him to stay away from his daughter.
Meanwhile, Edmond Bateman (Boris Karloff) comes to Vollin to have his “ugly” face reconstructed. Vollin agrees, but only if Bateman will operate Poe-inspired torture devices on Judge Thatcher and Jean’s fiancé.
The film has little going for it beyond being an oddly exploitative movie for Universal, especially with the Hays code in effect. The convoluted yet underserved plot only operates as a channel to arrive at the Poe-inspired torture devices.
Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi team up again following The Black Cat. Legosi chews as much scenery as I’ve seen from him. Karloff plays an Igor type with little else to do.
As someone who intends to watch all the Universal horror movies at some point, I’m glad I checked this off my list. Unless you have the same goal, I would consider skipping this one.