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Great Film overall

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

"The Mysterious Doctor" is a really short but entertaining ghost story.**SPOILERS**Riding along the English Moors, Hugh Penhyrn, (Forrester Harvey) manages to pick up the hitchhiking Dr. Frederick Holmes, (Lester Matthews) and stop off at a local bar. Meeting up with Kit Carson, (Bruce Lester) and hear the story about the town's past as a prosperous mining town cursed forever by the ghost of a member of a struggle that tore the town apart. Laughing it off as local superstition, he still agrees to visit the mine to see for himself. Going to the mine and discovering the truth of the ghost of the mine only to never be seen again, a group of town-members go off in search of the ghost. As it continues a deadly killing spree, they race to stop it before it is able to take control of the town.The Good News: This wasn't all that bad. This is a pretty creepy film when it really wants to be. The fact that the film starts off with a trip through a fog-entrenched English countryside, which is quite creepy by itself but becomes all the more when a heavy fog rolls in. The scenes in the mine at the conclusion are incredibly suspenseful, due mainly to it's spectacular setting and eerie feel to it. The darkness of the location and it's design are inherently creepy, and altogether with the camera angles and action, this becomes a really creepy location. The twisting staircases hidden from view and secret passageways are cleverly incorporated and really manage to work in some great moments. The revelation of the killer is a prime example, being completely driven by the location used which is put to great effect. The sight of the ghost the first time is a pretty great effect, looking like a more normal headless entity than an out-and-out ghost, but there is a slightly odd chill to it that really makes it seem like an imposing creature. This even has an entertaining and interesting back-story for the ghost, as the story told is done in a great manner that keeps the attention there. It's all combined into a really good film.The Bad News: There isn't a whole lot wrong with this one. The biggest is that the film's short length. This doesn't even run an hour long, and there's some really long padding in here that makes it seem like that time is going on more often than not. The constant battling over the superfluous characters that do nothing but eat up time in a film short enough as it is. It's needless as the characters aren't at all involved in the outcome of the film, which is it's other problem. This is simply way too convoluted and complicating, taking what was a simple ghost story and taking it way over the top with it's completely over-blown angle. There's no way this is plausible and is a way to make it feel longer than it really is. This here is a main reason keeping the film down.The Final Verdict: While not the greatest example of this genre, it's still a nice ride for what it is, even if it could've used a little more time. It's creepy enough to give it a look, and fans of this style and genre will want to give it a look, while those not accustomed to this style will want to look at others first before charging into this one.Today's Rating-PG: Mild Violence

Mysterious Doctor, The (1943) *** (out of 4) Strange horror/mystery from Warner has a small town living in fear that a headless ghost stalks their fog filled town. Legend has it that the ghost haunts a local tin mine and will kill anyone who goes close. This is a rather unique little film because of what was going on in the real world at the time. We all know that WW2 was going strong and a lot of war talk often made its way into movies but very few horror films had this. That's not the case here as this film features plenty of talk about the war and Hitler, which is used to show that other fears can cause people to hide when they should be out fighting. The actual story isn't all that original but with these added fears it makes for an interesting film. The mystery aspect of the movie also works quite well as the truth behind the legend is never really known. The atmosphere is another bonus as it really comes off and feels like a Universal film from the period. John Loder, Eleanor Parker, Bruce Lester and Lester Matthews turns in good performances in this forgotten gem, which desperately needs to be released to DVD.

Dark, foggy, lantern-lit settings abound in this 1943 second run feature about a headless ghost(no horse) that terrorizes an old mine, still laden with tin needed by the British against the Germans in WWII. Heavy on atmosphere and light on originality, The Mysterious Doctor comes off rather well due to its effective and crisp cinematography, solid character acting, and competent direction. Director Benjamin Stoloff moves with such a fast pace that the film's 57 minute length seems almost too short to have covered what this film covers. Don't expect any great and clever plot twists here as the film's hero and villain should be quite obvious shortly - especially if you remember what the title of the film is. Eleanor Parker is in the film as the female lead, but her role has little depth to it. There are some nice performances by John Loder, Lester Matthews, and I particularly liked the feeling and sincerity in Matt Willis's portrayal of the village idiot. Willis gives more than just a one-dimensional performance, and this is quite evident in the scene with the children goading him. But these actors and the fine, able group of terrified, pub-drinking villagers of Cornwall are far more defined by their aiding the atmosphere of the film - the film's chief character. Though their are a few grisly murders shown off-stage, the film has a rather light touch to it despite this and the foggy mood. Films like this were very formulaic, and it is important that one of its chief goals was to serve England in its battle with the Germans. Once you understand that, everything falls into place. Nonetheless, this is an interesting film with some style.

The doctor of the title is Dr. Frederick Holmes (Lester Matthews). He comes upon a small, fog-bound English village in WWII England. It contains a tin mine--tin which is badly needed in the war against the Nazis. But the local men are terrified to go into the mine because of the headless ghost that roams the mine and kills people. The bodies start piling up and the village starts to get very panicked....Strange combo of patriotism and horror story. The plot is totally predictable (although there were a few surprises at the end) and this has a cast of B actors (John Loder, Eleanor Parker) or total unknowns. Still, it's pretty good. The settings are fairly elaborate (I suspect they were shooting on the sets of other films), the constant fog provides a nice spooky atmosphere, the appearances of the ghost are kind of fun and the acting is pretty decent--Parker especially does wonders with her role as "the girl" and Loder is tall, handsome and seems to be really enjoying himself.Nothing new or thrilling but competent and quick (59 minutes). There are worse ways to kill an hour.