Grade: D-
Synopsis: A reporter tracks a scientist (Bela Lugosi) who, aided by his dwarf henchman, kidnaps and murders virgin brides to keep his aging wife alive and young.
The Corpse Vanishes opens with atmosphere to spare courtesy a great early shot of a star Bela Lugosi leering out of the back of a darkened hearse. It’s a great visual, and it’s easy to imagine this scene inspiring Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm (1979), which portends good things for the film to follow. Unfortunately, these hopes turn out to be totally unfounded, as the film is quickly dragged down by wooden acting and a plot that’s both recycled and yet, at times, incomprehensible.
After the solid opening, the film quickly devolves to a quasi-remake of The Return of Doctor X (1939), with Luana Walters playing the nosy reporter. There’s lots of extraneous filler, such as Lugosi’s dwarf sidekick, and the fact that Lugosi’s character and his wife sleep in coffins, but it’s essentially the same tired story of a mad scientist undone by his own arrogance thanks to a nosy reporter. Unfortunately, The Corpse Vanishes doesn’t have the luxury of a train-wreck performance by Humphrey Bogart to keep you glued to the screen, so even the brief 64-minute running time is something of a chore, making this one worth it for die-hard Lugosi fans only.
