Doctor X (1932)

71% of critics liked it
(7 reviews)
57% of users liked it
(312 ratings)

Fay Wray screams when she first lays eyes on Lionel Atwill in Doctor X, but don't let that fool you. Atwill plays Fay's father this time around, and he may very well not be the diabolical "Moon Murderer" whom the police are seeking. Dr. Xavier (Atwill) maintains a research lab in a remote Long… More Fay Wray screams when she first lays eyes on Lionel Atwill in Doctor X, but don't let that fool you. Atwill plays Fay's father this time around, and he may very well not be the diabolical "Moon Murderer" whom the police are seeking. Dr. Xavier (Atwill) maintains a research lab in a remote Long Island estate. The police suspect that one of Xavier's assistants--all "second-chancers" whose previous misdemeanors range from botched experiments to cannibalism!--is the mysterious murderer who strikes only when the moon is full. Newspaper reporter Lee Tracy sneaks into the estate to get a swell scoop, whereupon he falls in love with Fay. In trying to help the authorities, Xavier stages an elaborate trap for the Moon Murderer, with his daughter as the willing bait. The killer (we won't tell you who it is, but you'll figure it out anyway) reveals himself by coating his body with "synthetic flesh", which gives him supernatural powers. Based on a play by Howard C. Comstock and Allen C. Miner, Doctor X was originally filmed in two-color Technicolor; available for years only in black and white, the film was restored to its full tinted state in the 1970s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 17 min.
Directed By: Michael Curtiz
Written By: Earl Baldwin, Robert Tasker
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Aug 3, 1932 Wide
Studio: MGM Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
O technicolor de duas cores e a influência clara do expressionismo alemão criam belas imagens e uma boa atmosfera, mas a trama é ridícula e o personagem de Tracy é irritante e parece ter saído de um cartoon.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Disappoints as it plays like your average Charlie Chan crime thriller with some rather lame comic relief, a hardly puzzling mystery story and mostly stilted acting.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
Beyond the film's weird look and feel, there isn't a lot to it until the last ten minutes, when the story turns from eerie-yet-humorous to outright shocking and horrifying.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...it is the film's dark, shadowy look, an obvious carryover from the German Expressionism of the previous decade, that contributes most to its effectiveness.
Matt Bailey, Not Coming to a Theater Near You
Not the most frightening or memorable horror film to come out of the 1930s, but inventive in its early and idiosyncratic use of color and in its remarkable set design.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Over-the-top in its own right, and it's all wrapped in German Expressionist sets and shadows enhanced by the otherworldly look of early two-color Technicolor.