The Devil Commands (1941)
Dr. Julian Blair, played by Boris Karloff, is unable to convince his peers that brainwaves can be recorded after death. After his wife's death in a car accident, he believes she is trying to communicate with him through electrical impulses. He enlists the help of a medium, Mrs. Walters, to conduct experiments with the goal of communicating with his wife. However, things take a dark turn when Blair's servant is injured and becomes mute, and they move to a remote location to continue their work in secret. Blair begins using bodies from local graveyards for his experiments, causing the death of his maid and the disapproval of his daughter. As his daughter's fiancé tries to rescue her from her father's dangerous experiments, the townspeople intervene, causing the laboratory to explode and killing Blair in the process. His dreams of communicating with the dead are forever shattered.
Books with substantial mentioning of The Devil Commands
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Gary J. Svehla and Susan Svehla (editors) Boris Karloff Baltimore, 1996 |
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Scott Allen Nollen Boris Karloff, A Critical Account of His Screen, Stage, Radio, television and Recording Work Jefferson, NC, 1991 |
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William K. Everson Klassiker des Horrorfilms München, 1982 |
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Richard Bojarski and Kenneth Beals The Films of Boris Karloff Secaucus, NJ, 1974 |
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William K. Everson Classics of the Horror Film, From the days of the Silent Screen to The Exorcist Secaucus, NJ, 1974 |
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