A few thoughts: One of several Lugosi/Karloff team-ups, this being the sole film of the bunch where Lugosi legitimately one-ups Karloff both in terms of being a more interesting character and a better performance. "Suggested" by Poe's famed poem, this movie is all about an evil doctor who saves a woman's life and jealously wants to keep her to himself. Riddled with fun over-the-top moments, pretty passable effects and set design, and a whole heap of nonsensical plotting issues, I can't say this is their [Karloff and Lugosi] best ever shared film, but is still clearly higher up on that list than the likes of 'Black Friday' and 'The Invisible Ray'. Whether you care for Lugosi or not, he is the highlight here, giving an exaggerate and deliciously evil performance that really affords him the opportunity to go all-out. Pretty much everything else is either forgettable, passable, or just not worth noting. Don't watch this alongside 'The Black Cat' -- it pales by comparison.
Who would I recommend it to? People who want some classic Universal horror that's slightly less well-known than Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf Man, etc. Not amazing, but well worth the time.
My grade: C+
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