Review of The Devil Commands

"The Devil Commands" is a very strange film. Made by the Columbia Pictures B-unit -- and featuring a lot of Columbia B-unit contractees, such as Kenneth McDonald, Richard Fiske, and Cy Schindell, all of whom were regulars in Three Stooge shorts -- it more closely resembles a Monogram opus of the era. Boris Karloff, in kindly-professor mode, plays a scientist investigating the recording of thoughts who becomes a bit unhinged after his wife dies, and begins obsessing on communicating with her from beyond the grave. Helping him is phony medium Anne Revere, who has an unnaturally high tolerance to electricity (ala Universal's "Man-Made Monster," which began development as a Karloff vehicle), and a brain-dead assistant named Carl, played by Schindell, here inexplicable billed as "Ralph Penney". McDonald, meanwhile, is miscast as the tough, no-nonsense sheriff, and Fiske is Karloff's former assistant, who is now worried about his mental health, as is Karloff's daughter, played by someone named Amanda Duff. There is also a classic Universal-inspired torch-carrying mob, which threatens Karloff because they believe he's responsible for several grave robberies in the small village. The dialogue creaks like an old boat, but Karloff is very good in a role that would also have been good for Bela Lugosi (in fact, Lugosi's role in "The Invisible Ghost" is somewhat similar). There is also the spectacle of Kenneth McDonald, whose voice was reminiscent of Karloff's, sharing scenes with the real thing. Anne Revere nearly steals the show with a performance that would make "Mrs. Danvers" shudder, and Richard Fiske shows that he could have developed into a legitimate leading man, had he not tragically been killed in combat in WWII a few years after filming this. The film's most intriguing performance, though, is Schindell's; if you've ever wondered what it would be like to see Lou Costello play "Lennie" in "Of Mice and Men," this will show you. In the final accounting, though, it is Karloff's show. He plays the scientist with quiet conviction and sympathy, and allows the audience to see into the cause of his madness." Karloff could, of course, be great in great films, but he could be wonderful in lesser pictures. The Devil Commands" is not a great film, or even a great B-movie, but it is played with conviction and is an entertaining stew of tropes and cliches.