Movie Review: Doctor X (1932) directed by Michael Curtiz
The Moon Killer has struck again! Each month during the full moon, a victim is found strangled and killed with a wound to the back of the skull, and then large chunks of their flesh removed, presumably to be eaten. After six victims, the police have finally managed to determine that the skull wounds are created by someone with surgical skills, and a particular kind of scalpel. As it happens, this particular scalpel is an imported model only used at the Institute for Surgical Research, conveniently located near all the murders. The police approach Dr. Jerry Xavier (Lionel Atwill), the head of the Institute.
As it happens, the school is in recess, so that narrows the list of suspects to Dr. X and four other faculty members who have remained to pursue their own projects. Dr. Duke (Harry Beresford), Dr. Haines (John Wray), Dr. Rowitz (Arthur Edmund Carewe) and Dr. Wells (Preston Fowler). The four others have reasons why they are a little dodgy. One wrote a book on cannibalism, one was in a ship wreck and when the three man liferaft was found, only two men were still aboard, one is obsessed with the concept of “lunacy”, and one is into “French Art” (a then polite euphemism for pornography.) Even Doctor X himself might be a suspect if his theory is correct.
In order to protect the Institute’s reputation and attempt to solve the case using some new experiments he wants to try out, Dr. Xavier persuades the police to give him 48 hours before they crack down on the suspects. Unfortunately for him, wisecracking reporter Lee Taylor (Lee Tracy) has been concealed in the building all along. Lee reports what he’s found out, resulting in newspaper headlines that will make it impossible to do the experiments at the publicly accessible Institute. Instead, Dr. X invites his fellow surgeons to his creepy mansion on Long Island.
Practical joke-loving and a little cowardly, Lee thinks his job is done, but his editor insists the reporter go out to Long Island, infiltrate, and come back with a complete story. Once there, Lee splits his time between snooping and wooing Dr. Xavier’s pretty daughter Joanne Xavier (Fay Wray). But there’s still a killer on the loose, and not everyone in the house will survive.
This early color horror film was Warner Brothers’ response to the success of Universal’s early horror classics. It was adapted from a Grand Guignol-style stage play, which was deemed a little too much strong meat for a movie audience. Thus it was rescripted to be more of a horror-comedy, with the somewhat silly reporter being the protagonist. There’s also comic relief servants, skittish housemaid Mamie (Leila Bennett) and creepy butler Otto (George Rosener).
But there are spooky moments throughout, and at the climax the movie goes full horror as we finally get a good look at the Moon Killer (awesome makeup by Max Factor that works well with the film’s limited color palette) and the real reason he’s been killing people. And that nightmarish moment when Dr. X realizes he’s made himself helpless to stop the Moon Killer from murdering Joanne.
Lionel Atwill and the other suspects are excellent, Lee Tracy is typecast but is very good at being typecast, and Fay Wray does the best she can with her limited part.
Content note: This is a pre-Code film, so they could get away with a scene in a bawdyhouse, a reference to “a woman of the streets”, “French Art” and what was then a racy swimsuit for Fay Wray in one scene. There’s murder, of course–no blood but a bit of body horror. References to cannibalism. Some prejudice towards the physically handicapped. Dubious depiction of and attitudes towards insanity. Younger children should have adult guidance on hand.
This movie hasn’t aged as well as Mystery at the Wax Museum from later that same year, but has its charms for comedy-horror fans. Turn the lights down low and have plenty of popcorn on hand!
