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I love this movie so much

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The acting in this movie is really good.

First off, this is not a horror movie in any way for those who might be thinking that due to the poster or the fact Turhan Bey is in it. During the '40s he appeared in several of the lesser Universal horror films. This isn't one of them. This is a somewhat noirish psychological thriller about a widow, a fake psychic, and a dead husband that may not be so dead. I see a lot of praise for this in the reviews here but this is one time when I'm not in agreement with the majority. Frankly, I found this to be a real bore. The cast is nice and the twists look good on paper but the whole thing is just so unexciting I could barely stay awake during it. Also I don't get the praise for the cinematography. The film looks fine but, again, I'm just not seeing what others are seeing. It's nothing special, in my opinion. Give it a look and judge for yourself but keep expectations low.

A slightly intriguing film noir, this somewhat suspenseful (if obvious) thriller is packed with tension but results in predictable twists and turns and a rather incomplete conclusion. It all surrounds a vulnerable widow (Lynn Bari), the obviously fake swindler (Turhan Bey), and visions of the dead husband that in spite of filmed with a spooky glaze leads to a twist that you will see coming miles away. It leads to a showdown between two evils, one of which is hiding a little bit of good under that sinister desire for the mighty buck.Cathy O'Donnell's young ingénue is a bit too dumb to be believable, trapped with a really unbelievable character who gets far too much romantic subplot that takes away from the sinister structure that is far more interesting. Still, there are some tense moments, including a cliff-side trance for Bari that will keep you on the edge of your seats in fright.

This is a delicious little House-On-The-Cliff-By-The Seething Sea" "B" movie, an immersion in style and spiritualist hocus-pocus, starring Lynn Bari, who usually played hard-bitten criminal types, and Turhan Bey, a 40's leading man almost forgotten, since many of the films he was in (with folks like Maria Montez) haven't been released on DVD. Bey usually played exotic types in flashy costumes, and here is no exception--he even has a cackling pet raven to follow him around with avian commentary on the shifty doings in the neighborhood.As a side note, Bey retired to Vienna and worked as a photographer, and passed away in 2012; Out of The Blue, an odd little comedy made for Eagle-Lion, in which he co-stars with George Brent, Ann Dvorak and Virginia Mayo, has been released on DVD.What makes The Amazing Mr. X. stand out from most of its kind is the dazzling atmospheric cinematography from John Alton--just the opening interior scenes are enough for me to watch the film again! Yes, it's hokey melodrama, but great fun if you're in the mood.

Competently-written, decently acted, and with direction rather better than one would expect from a "programmer", "The Amazing Mr. X" is a pleasant surprise. Turhan Bey, who usually appeared in "exotic" roles, is especially effective as the phony medium.The problem (and the reason for a 6 rather than a 7 rating) is the shoot-em-up ending, which spoils what has up to then been an acceptable drama. Unfortunately, it's easier to write an "all the bad people die" ending than it is to create a resolution based on the characters' situations and psychologies.Certainly worth a viewing, especially if you can't get to sleep.