The Corpse Vanishes (1942) starring Bela Lugosi, Angelo Rossitto
Synopsis of The Corpse Vanishes.
The Corpse Vanishes is one of Bela Lugosi’s better Monogram efforts. He plays a mad scientist who uses a sadistic dwarf (Rossitto of Freaks) to help him kill virgin brides …. And then extract their spinal fluid to keep his ancient wife young and beautiful.
Product Description
Brides die on the alter and their bodies are snatched from the morgue by Dr. Lorenz (Bela Lugosi), who needs their blood to keep his 80 year old wife young and beautiful. He is assisted in his gruesome experiments by a household of bizarre characters including a sadistic dwarf (Angelo Rossitto), a monstrous half-witted giant (Frank Moran) and their witchlike mother (Minerva Urecal). A nosy reporter (Luana Walters), who is on the case of the missing corpses, must spend a night of horror in the mad doctor’s chamber of torture. Often cited as one of the best and most cohesive of Lugosi’s poverty row features, The Corpse Vanishes also stands today as the most horrific of the infamous 1940’s “Monogram 9.”
Cast
- Bela Lugosi (The Devil Bat) … Dr. George Lorenz. The mad scientist, who’s been kidnapping brides on their wedding day. He puts them in a type of suspended information with a strange orchid. Then, he takes them to his home, where he steals fluids from them to keep his elderly wife youthful.
- Luana Walters … Patricia Hunter. Intrepid reporter. She finds that orchids are a key to the string of disappearances. So, she calls on an orchid expert — Dr. Lorenz! And circumstances force her to spend the night at his home. Where she finds some odd things …
- Tristram Coffin … Dr. Foster. The handsome young doctor, who sees to Countess Lorenz’ other health issues. He agrees to help Patricia.
- Elizabeth Russell (Weird Woman) … Countess Lorenz. Not a very nice person. Clearly insecure, and nasty.
- Minerva Urecal (The Ape Man) … Fagah. The frankly odd old woman who, with her sons, helps Lorenz with his … unorthodox experiments.
- Angelo Rossitto (Scared to Death) … Toby. Fagah’s son, and Lorenz’ assistant. A sadistic dwarf.
- Joan Barclay (The Seventh Victim) … Alice Wentworth. The first victim, at the beginning of the film. She falls into a deep sleep, and is kidnapped. On her wedding day!
- Kenneth Harlan … Keenan – Patricia’s Editor. He helps implement her plan to catch Dr. Lorenz. Which backfires!
- Gwen Kenyon … Peggy Woods
- Vince Barnett … Sandy
- Frank Moran … Angel
- George Eldredge … Mike
Editorial review of The Corpse Vanishes courtesy of Amazon.com
With THE CORPSE VANISHES (1942 ), Monogram Pictures might have, possibly, hit its finest hour. The film, which definitely falls within the realm of horror, owes much, if not everything, to the Weird Menace pulp magazines of the time. The movie is, at its very heart, a lurid dime novel come to life, complete with demented henchmen, evil dwarfs and a bevy of wilting Brides collapsing at the altar. Bela Lugosi packs a lot of unrepentant evil into his role of Dr. Lorenz, equally matched by the untamed wickedness of his own bride, played expertly by CAT PEOPLE‘s Elizabeth Russell. Angelo Rossitto adds to his Lugosi legacy as he is once more is literally kicked to the curb.