While the 1939 Nick Grinde film "The Man They Could Not Hang" dealt with the story of a kindly scientist who vows revenge after his experiment with a mechanical heart is interrupted, this one takes a similar theme to new twists and turns out to be much better. The story opens with Karloff being sentenced to death for aiding an elderly man in "assisted suicide" which is labeled here as mercy killing. Karloff goes to prison and goes to work for the prison's doctor, keeping his experiment going as he prepares to die. On the day of his execution, he is sentenced to life in prison instead, and gladly continues his experimentation of aiding the elderly, unaware that the serum of a dead killer he had implanted in himself has poisoned his mind, making him do quite the opposite than what he originally intended.
There's a sad look in the eye of the classic pianist Karloff visits to implant the serum in to test him and improve the quality of his life. The vulnerability and trust in this man is a quiet visual that will remain in my mind's eye when I think of this film. There are some touching realizations of how pathetic we become as our bodies age and mind fights to remain strong in spite of physical pain. Karloff literally becomes "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" as he struggles between the good doctor and the maniacal killer in doing what he wants to do for society and doing what the killer's poisoned blood did to make the dead prisoner kill in the first place.
As fast moving as the predecessor, this isn't based upon the revenge plot which dominated and weakened the first film, but more on how good intentions are sometimes the pathway to hell when the rules of the universe aren't followed. Karloff goes between good and evil with ease, and his performance is one of his best. The doctor may not be mad, but his experiments will certainly drive him that way.
There's a sad look in the eye of the classic pianist Karloff visits to implant the serum in to test him and improve the quality of his life. The vulnerability and trust in this man is a quiet visual that will remain in my mind's eye when I think of this film. There are some touching realizations of how pathetic we become as our bodies age and mind fights to remain strong in spite of physical pain. Karloff literally becomes "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" as he struggles between the good doctor and the maniacal killer in doing what he wants to do for society and doing what the killer's poisoned blood did to make the dead prisoner kill in the first place.
As fast moving as the predecessor, this isn't based upon the revenge plot which dominated and weakened the first film, but more on how good intentions are sometimes the pathway to hell when the rules of the universe aren't followed. Karloff goes between good and evil with ease, and his performance is one of his best. The doctor may not be mad, but his experiments will certainly drive him that way.