The Amazing Mr. X (1948)

Despite the good reviews here, this movie is dismal. Slow and plodding. Rather boring and over acted. The direction is heavy handed. Not of interest in the slightest.The Plot On the beach one night, Christine Faber, two years a widow, thinks she hears her late husband Paul calling out of the surf.Then meets a tall dark man, Alexis, who seems to know all about such things. After more ghostly manifestations, Christine and younger sister Janet become enmeshed in the eerie artifices of Alexis.But he in turn finds himself manipulated into deeper deviltry than he had in mind.

Certainly not an 'amazing' film, but enjoyable none the less. I would almost call it a skeptic movie since it pulls back the curtain on the tricks of a self-proclaimed spiritualist. I always enjoy films that expose 'mediums' for the charlatans they really are. There is nothing subtle about the cinematography of this film, there was a bit of an overkill on fog, shadows and low-angled shots. The film's cast got shaken up at the last minute and was originally supposed to star Carole Landis who died of an intentional drug overdose just two days before filming. This film is in the public domain and available to watch online for free.

well I don't know where to start,, first off I couldn't follow the movie at all okay a woman thinks she hears her dead husband by the ocean,, I have no problems with that,, what I don't get at all is the fortune telling stuff, and where he thinks that he get's all of this supposed power over people,, second the movie just went In to many directions,, and very slowly,, at one point I actually couldn't wait for the movie to be over with,, I usually don't give a movie this bad of a rating,, but when I really don't understand what the heck i'm watching, and can't follow along it really doesn't seem to make much sense,, out of all the movies iv'e seen in the wal mart 50 pack this one was by far and above the most hideous of them all,, would not recommend to anyone.

X-FactorThe Amazing Mr. X is a fairly unknown little nugget that was released in 1948 and was advertised with the sensational taglines, "In his eyes… the threat of terror! In his hands… the power to destroy!" This, of course, was not uncommon for the "horror" films that were churned out during this era, but, after having just viewed this under-the-radar psychological thriller, it's clear that the promoters were really reaching.The frustrating thing about Mr. X is that it actually features some nifty effects and has one or two genuinely creepy occurrences. The premise, too, promises to be engaging. But, for a variety of reasons, the movie just doesn't work. Let's break this thing down so we can pinpoint why "X" does not, in fact, mark the spot.Plot. That's an important word when it comes to storytelling, right? Mr. X certainly has one, but here's the problem: it's absolutely ludicrous. The wealthy widow of a man two years deceased begins to have visions of his spirit trying to make contact with her. This woman then has a chance encounter with a man named Alexis (the Mr. X in question), who claims to be a supernatural medium. After a lot of prolonged voodoo it's revealed that Mr. X is nothing more than a con-artist. He uses an assistant and cheap effects to swindle depressed women out of their money. What Mr. X doesn't expect, though, is that the dead man in question actually makes a flesh and blood appearance. As it turns out, he was never really dead; he staged a car accident and included bogus remains so as to be declared a goner. After somehow managing to hide from society for two years, this well-groomed sleazeball appears and strikes up a deal with Alexis. In short, a lot of tomfoolery takes place, and a completely unrealistic conclusion sees Mr. X forgiven for all of his misdeeds and in the good graces of the very women he previously hustled.Again, given it's age, I do think Mr. X is due some credit for its ability to (very infrequently) drum up some genuine scares. But then there's the pesky "logic" factor: you know, the one that says "any rational person would react in ways A, B, or C." I guess they were hoping people would go for outcomes D through… er… X.I, for one, did not.