The Devil Commands (1941)
Reference View | Change View
- Approved
- 1h 5min
- Horror, Sci-Fi
- 03 Feb 1941 (USA)
- Movie
Scientist becomes obsessed with the idea of communicating with his dead wife.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Boris Karloff | ... |
Dr. Julian Blair
|
|
| Richard Fiske | ... |
Dr. Richard Sayles
|
|
| Amanda Duff | ... |
Anne Blair
|
|
| Anne Revere | ... |
Mrs. Blanche Walters
|
|
| Ralph Penney | ... |
Karl
|
|
| Dorothy Adams | ... |
Mrs. Marcy
|
|
| Walter Baldwin | ... |
Seth Marcy
|
|
| Kenneth MacDonald | ... |
Sheriff Ed Willis
|
|
 |
Shirley Warde | ... |
Helen Blair
|
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Ernie Adams | ... |
Elam (uncredited)
|
|
| Lester Allen | ... |
Dr. Van Den (uncredited)
|
|
| Wheaton Chambers | ... |
Dr. Sanders (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Earl Crawford | ... |
Johnson (uncredited)
|
|
|
Harrison Greene | ... |
Mr. Booth, Bakery Proprietor (uncredited)
|
| Erwin Kalser | ... |
Professor Kent (uncredited)
|
|
| Eddie Kane | ... |
Professor Walt (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
George McKay | ... |
Station Agent (uncredited)
|
|
|
Al Rhein | ... |
Truck Driver (uncredited)
|
| John Tyrrell | ... |
Postmaster (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Jacques Vanaire | ... |
Dr. Hartley (uncredited)
|
Directed by
| Edward Dmytryk | ||
Written by
| Robert Hardy Andrews | ... | (screenplay) (as Robert D. Andrews) and |
| Milton Gunzburg | ... | (screenplay) |
| William Sloane | ... | (story: novel "The Edge of Running Water") |
Produced by
| Wallace MacDonald | ... | producer (uncredited) |
Cinematography by
| Allen G. Siegler | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Al Clark | ||
Art Direction by
| Lionel Banks | ||
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| George Rhein | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Philip Faulkner Jr. | ... | sound engineer (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| Franz Dallons | ... | props (uncredited) |
| Oscar Dallons | ... | props (uncredited) |
| Paul Dallons | ... | props (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Morris Stoloff | ... | musical director (as M.W. Stoloff) |
| George Antheil | ... | composer: stock music (uncredited) |
| Gerard Carbonara | ... | composer: stock music (uncredited) |
| Sidney Cutner | ... | composer: stock music (uncredited) |
| Werner R. Heymann | ... | composer: stock music (uncredited) |
| Ben Oakland | ... | composer: stock music (uncredited) |
| Karol Rathaus | ... | composer: stock music (uncredited) |
| Gregory Stone | ... | composer: stock music (uncredited) |
| Victor Young | ... | composer: stock music (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Columbia Pictures (1941) (United States) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures of Canada (1941) (Canada) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures Corporation (1941) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures Proprietary (1941) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Columbia Films S. A. (1941) (Mexico) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures de Cuba (1941) (Cuba) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures of Argentina (1941) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures of Peru (1941) (Peru) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures do Brasil (1941) (Brazil) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures (1955) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Screen Gems (1958) (United States) (tv) (as Son of Shock) (syndication)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (2003) (United States) (DVD)
- Image Entertainment (2012) (United States) (DVD)
- Eureka Entertainment (2021) (United Kingdom) (Blu-ray) (included on "Karloff at Columbia" box set)
- Mill Creek Entertainment (2023) (United States) (Blu-ray) (included in "Thrillers from the Vault")
Special Effects
Other Companies
- International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (this picture made under the jurisdiction of)
- Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America (approved: certificate no. 7003)
- Western Electric (mirrophonic recording)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Dr. Julian Blair is engaged in unconventional research on human brain waves when his wife is tragically killed in a freak auto accident. The grief-stricken scientist becomes obsessed with redirecting his work into making contact with the dead and is not deterred by dire warnings from his daughter, his research assistant, or his colleagues that he is delving into forbidden areas of knowledge. He moves his laboratory to an isolated New England mansion where he continues to try to reach out to his dead wife. He is aided by his mentally-challenged servant Karl and abetted by the obsessive Mrs. Walters, a phony medium, who seems to exert a sinister influence over him. When their overly curious housekeeper discovers the truth about their experiments, her death brings the local sheriff in to investigate. Written by Gabe Taverney (duke1029@aol.com) |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | KARLOFF TURNS KILLER IN A HORROR-CRAMMED THRILLER! (original 11x14 title card) See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
|
Additional Details
| Also Known As |
|
| Runtime |
|
| Country | |
| Language | |
| Color | |
| Aspect Ratio |
|
| Sound Mix |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Completed December 1940, released February 3, 1941. See more » |
| Goofs | Dr. Julian tells Mrs. Walters she had 10,000 volts pass through her body. Volts do not flow or pass, amps do. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Monsters We've Known and Loved (1964). See more » |
| Quotes |
Dr. Julian Blair:
Anne dear, your mother is not dead, not really. She's come back to me! See more » |