The Invisible Ray (1936) **

For a companion to this, I wrote about the film back in 2017 during October: Invisible Ray

I genuinely enjoy seeing Lugosi as the heroic doctor who sacrifices his life in the efforts to stop Karloff's mad scientist. Karloff's Rukh, prior to leaving for Paris, heals his mother's eyes, her blindness cured. But madness of the radioactive Radium X directly exposed to when finding it in a cave during African expedition, while also overcome with jealousy for how his find was used by Lugosi's Dr. Benet and his wife was in love with an adventurer leaves Rukh looking to kill those he feels are responsible for his pain. Glowing Karloff with a touch that kills is quite the monster even though he was credited with the Nobel and given credit as Radium X's discovery couldn't compensate for the increasing toll of what the find did to his brain. Not only did Lugosi provide the serum he would need to help stave off the effects, as long as he kept a specific regimen daily, he also uses the Radium X only for good medical purpose to heal. Blinded by a pursuit of vengeance, he even saw statues of saints at the Parisian church symbolizing those he considered thieves that robbed him of his discovery and love. Lugosi so rarely is the pillar of morality and brains behind trapping Karloff so it makes this particular film, from the director of "Dracula's Daughter", refreshing and even rewarding, though tragically he lost his life in the process. Karloff as the madman who loses his humanity, or at least most of it, does somewhat redeem himself when he can't bring himself to kill Drake (of "Mad Love", such a tender face and sad eyes) while looking upon his mother realizing the errors of his behavior. 3.5/5