THE MAD DOCTOR (1940)

In a nicely atmospheric rainy night scene set in the small town of Midbury, a medical doctor (Ralph Morgan) is called out of his bed to attend to the wife of psychiatrist Basil Rathbone. She is sick with pneumonia but she's dead by the time the doctor arrives. Morgan finds the death suspicious but mostly because he finds Rathbone's demeanor to be cold and secretive. We discover what Morgan doesn't know, that Rathbone has a habit of marrying rich women, and he and his assistant (Martin Kosleck) kill them for their money. Though it's never made explicit, Rathbone and Kosleck are certainly lovers; Kosleck is coded as gay through his hobby of flower arranging and by lying languidly around the house in a robe, and the two constantly exchange intense glances (as pictured at left). They move to Manhattan where Rathbone soon has a lucrative practice and is called on to treat Ellen Drew, the depressed sister-in-law of a newspaper publisher. Drew's boyfriend, reporter John Howard, isn't happy with this arrangement, calling Rathbone a "half-baked soul meddler" due to his use of hypnosis, and he plans to write an expose of such doctors for his paper. But Drew's mental state soon improves, and she starts to fall for Rathbone even as Howard heads to Midbury where Morgan has done some digging into Rathbone's past and uncovered his history with wives. Can Howard piece together a compelling case against Rathbone before Drew becomes his next victim?

Despite the maddeningly generic and random title, this is not a horror film but a fairly nifty psychological thriller. The strongest elements here are the performances of three of the actors. The always reliable Rathbone is very good portraying a man who, if he's not actually mad, is clever and has a sinister obsession—though we're led to believe that, at least for a time, he might actually feel enough for Drew so that he won't try to kill her. Kosleck, as his companion, is perverse and slimy and great fun to watch. Morgan, often a rather heavy-handed player, is just right as the suspicious doctor. Ellen Drew is fine as the damsel in distress, but John Howard isn't particularly good as the boyfriend, let down in part by a script which keeps him offscreen for a fair chunk of the last half. He also comes off as a bit cold and passionless. I enjoyed the mostly comic supporting performances of Vera Vague (real name, Barbara Jo Allen) and Hugh O'Donnell as Drew's parents. Somewhat improbably, the murder of a night watchman at a cemetery becomes fodder for big headlines just because it's a big plot point. There's a well shot subway murder near the end. It’s a decent looking B-movie in terms of sets and atmosphere. Definitely recommended. [Blu-ray]