"The Invisible Ghost" has nothing to do with anything invisible nor any ghosts. I suppose it could be a figurative title, some have even speculated on the supposed true meaning, but I don’t see enough thought behind the movie as a whole to suggest that the title is anything but something intended to be eye-catching.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this is a bad movie. On the contrary, I enjoyed it despite its flaws (which possibly is in part because I had just gotten through watching another movie that had me scratching my head in confusion for an hour).

 

The story centers around the Kessler household. The man of the house has lost his wife. She ran off with another man and was involved in a deadly auto accident. Kessler believes she will come back to him and sometimes acts as if she is still there. It’s no wonder since she appears periodically at his window. If I saw my "dead" wife's face people would probably think I was weird, too, or weirder than usual anyway.

 

She’s actually living in the shed, which is known only by the gardener and his wife, and is not in her right mind. When she sneaks around the grounds the sight of her triggers a kind of alternate personality in her husband sending him on murderous rampages, yet he remembers none of it.

 

Meanwhile, Kessler’s daughter finds herself caught up in a love triangle that leaves her beau accused of the other woman’s murder. When he is executed for the crime his brother comes to clear his name. He and the police are unknowingly caught up in Kessler’s insanity while the man’s supposedly dead wife continues to lurk about the grounds.

 

I guess this is a horror in the sense that there is an insane murderer on the loose, and not even he realizes it. Yet it’s really more of a crime story with some odd elements to it. There is nothing supernatural nor anything monstrous; there is just insanity.

 

There are several poorly explained aspects of the movie. Kessler’s insane murder sprees and his wife’s actions are not very believable but are the equivalent of some of the supernatural elements in other horror movies: you either suspend disbelief or you go find something else to watch. If only that were all that is hard to swallow maybe it would work better; a murder victim spontaneously coming briefly back to life and another person falling dead for no given reason are harder to accept.

 

The police in the story are quick to condemn innocent people on weak evidence. This would have worked better for the story if the investigators were shown to be more incompetent than they are. Instead it plays out like the deductions, while flawed, are at least reasonable while most viewers are not going to see it that way. Once again this makes the plot much harder to swallow.

 

One thing that helps the story is the acting. Bela Lugosi is not one of the most renowned horror actors of his time for no reason. He really puts on a good show. I also enjoyed the other stars: Polly Ann Young, Clarence Muse, and John McGuire. These three make for more believable characters than some I’ve seen in black-and-white horror flicks. The other actors range from not bad to not impressive.

 

Everything is kept on the natural plane so there is no need for antiquated special effects. The movie is therefore dependent on acting, plot, and atmosphere. Acting, like I said, is largely pretty good; plot has some interesting elements though it has some issues as well; atmosphere, though, is lacking. Every once in a while it hits a strong note, and it's steady enough that it kept my interest throughout, but it's not powerful enough to put this movie ahead of others in its genre.