The Invisible Menace (1938)

Fine B mystery from Warner Bros. with nice foggy atmosphere and a good performance from Boris Karloff in a small but important role. Directed by John 'father of Mia' Farrow, it's a good-looking picture that has a horror movie feel to it. The story involves a murder on an army base, with Karloff as one of the suspects. There's also some comic relief from Eddie Craven and Marie Wilson as a pair of newlyweds trying to have their honeymoon on the base without anyone knowing. The comedy upsets the fine mood Farrow sets but I'm sure his hands were tied on that front. The rest of the cast includes Regis Toomey, Charles Trowbridge, Frank Faylen, and Henry Kolker. Cy Kendall plays a brutish investigator brought in to solve the crime. His method is to slap suspects around until they confess. Sherlock Holmes he's not! It's worth a look for Karloff fans or anyone who enjoys old B mysteries. The short runtime helps a lot.

A cobbled together Mismatch of Comedy, Mystery, and a Touch of Terror. An early John Farrow Film whose Career had some Highlights in Film-Noir and other Genres. Boris Karloff is given a Non-Monster Role and He makes the Best of it.But, for some Odd Reason the Best Parts of the Movie are Glossed Over in quick Flashbacks and give way to Irritating, Dated, Date Comedy and some Unappealing Characters. A few Scenes have an Edge of Violence and a Stylish Darkness, but the Movie cannot Recover from the Weak Elements.A Movie dismissed by many and is really only Recommended for Completists and the Curious. There are some Things to See here but they Come at a Heavy Price. Enduring the Embarrassment of the Silly Stuff and a Combination of Elements that Never Mesh is Burdensome.

Invisible Menace, The (1938) ** (out of 4) Slightly entertaining whodoneit about a body being found at a military institution and the investigation that follows. I've seen countless films like this over the years and this one here really isn't any better or worse than the majority out there. The main reason to see this film is due to Boris Karloff but be warned that he's not in the film too much even with the top billing. The supporting cast are decent but the good thing is that the film runs a short 54-minutes. Had the screenplay been a tad bit better the film might have worked better.

Murder mystery with a silly title. Better-than-average direction from John Farrow. Marie Wilson is quite funny as a horny newlywed, although the jokes are sticky and worth a few groans. But Karloff as usual is multi-dimensional, spooky and human, a warmer version of the guilty icon that Lon Chaney Sr. perfected.