The Invisible Ray (1936)

 The Invisible Ray (1936)

1936 found horror giants Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff again sharing the screen, originally the plan was to put the two in an adaptation of Bluebeard, though that was scrapped and instead they were put in a science-fiction horror film The Invisible Ray.  This would place Karloff as the obsessed scientist who loses everything and turns evil, and Lugosi as the more level head scientist who is an opportunist, and capitalizes on Karloff's characters discover.  Though Lugosi's character doesn't seem to do it as a malicious act, and credits Karloff's character for the discovers...but with his wife leaving him, and him feeling that another science was stealing his inventions, he seeks revenge.   This is a delicious bit of science-fiction horror, where a man obsessed becomes a monster.

The Invisible Ray was directed by Lambert Hillyer, though originally Stuart Walker was set to direct, but he left because he was unhappy with the script and wanted more time to do a rewrite and was denied the request.   The film had a screenplay by John Colton, and was produced by Edmund Grainger.   The Invisible Ray was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures in 1936.   

The Invisible Ray stars Boris Karloff as Dr. Janos Rukh, Frances Drake plays his wife Diana Rukh, and Violet Kemble plays his mother Mother Rukh.  Bela Lugosi plays Dr. Felix Benet, Frank Lawton plays Ronald Drake, Walter Kingsfor plays Sr Francis Stevens, and Beulah Bondi plays his wife Lady Arabella Stevens.  I felt like this film had a great cast, especially with Lugosi and Karloff, Lugosi's character isn't evil, and it is refreshing to see him playing a non monster character type, it shows his range and skill as an actor.  Karloff as the obsessed scientist, comes across less monstrous than many of his characters, and I feel like his character descends into obsession, causing him to neglect the important people in his life (especially his wife).  I feel like these characters give the actors a chance to branch out their acting abilities, from what they are famous for. 

The Invisible Ray was a well received film, and serves as an effective science-fiction horror film.   The film looks beautiful, and has some wonderful effects, and the acting is wonderful, the and the writing is okay.  The Invisible Ray, plays out as a science-fiction film about a scientist obsessed with his studies of the stars and the power of his discovery of "Radium X", but as he feels everything is being stolen from him, by people who he sees as thieves, it becomes a plot for revenge. If you have not yet seen The Invisible Ray I definitely recommend checking it out, it isn't as much a monster film that Universal is better known for, but it is definitely a wonderful science-fiction film that is a head of its time, and would fit nicely among the atomic age films of the post war 1940s.   Also for fans of Universal, some scenes from The Invisible Ray were reused for their serial The Phantom Creeps.  I feel like this is a must see film, and has a place in every film collector's library.