Phantom Killer

1942 "A prosecutor butts his brains into the stone wall of mystery and runs into a newspaper female feature writer!"
5.4| 1h1m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 02 October 1942 Released
Producted By: Monogram Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Well-known philanthropist and deaf-mute John G. Harrison is identified leaving the scene of several murders but evades successful prosecution as there are hundreds of witnesses who have also seen him emceeing benefits at the exact same time as the murders.

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Director

William Beaudine

Production Companies

Monogram Pictures

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Phantom Killer Audience Reviews

Evengyny Thanks for the memories!
Lightdeossk Captivating movie !
Aiden Melton The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
Michael_Elliott Phantom Killer (1942)** 1/2 (out of 4)A janitor (Mantan Moreland) witnesses a murder and he identifies the murderer as John G. Harrison (John Hamilton) who the janitor claims asked him for the time. The only problem is that Harrison can't speak or talk but attorney Edward Clark (Dick Purcell) believes he is faking. The only problem is that his girlfriend reporter (Joan Woodbury) claims to have been with Harrison when the murder took place.William Beaudine directed this remake of the 1933 Lionel Atwill film THE SPHINX. If you've seen that film then you'll know the twist and turns to the story here but it's still a mildly entertaining "B" movie that mixes a mystery with attempted laughs. The horror elements from the original movie are watered down here but it's still worth watching.As I stated, the horror elements have really been watered down here so one should basically go into this as a murder-mystery with a bunch of comedy elements thrown into. These type of films were quite popular throughout the 30s and 40s and for the most part this one here works thanks to the decent story as well as a fun cast who help make the 60-minute running time go by extremely quick.I thought both Purcell and Woodbury were very good in their roles. I especially liked the fast-talking nature that the two dug into each other with. I also thought Hamilton was very good in his role and Moreland adds the type of comedy that you'd expect from him. Again, if you've seen the original film then there's really nothing new here but this is entertaining enough for fans of the genre.
kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** In the movie John Hamilton, playing deft-mute philanthropist John G. Harrison, the future editor, in "The Adventurs of Superman" of the Daily Planet Perry White seems to do something that even the series star Superman couldn't do: Be in two places at the same time defying the laws of physics! In fact Harrison goes out of his way to show off his amazing powers by leaving clues, by talking which he's not capable of doing, to anyone near the murder scene so he can later identify him as the murderer! This has the janitor doing his nightly rounds at the Cromwell Building Nicodemus, Mantan Moreland, who discovered the murder victim-President of the Cromwell Corp- positively identify Harrison as his killer! What doesn't seem to fit in all this is that at the same time that Harrison was spotted by Nicodemus he was at a charity event five miles away!It's Assistant D.A Edward Clark, Dick Purcell, who feels something smells in all this it that Harrison was involved in two other murders using the very same cover. That's by exposing himself as the murderer to an eye witness where at the very same time he was miles away from the murder scene! This has Clark quit his job to prove that somehow Harrison was the killer of the President of the Cromwell Corp. but how he did it that's another story! ****SPOILERS**** A bit hard to take even from a Monogram movie that has Harrison and his man servant and sign language interpretor Kramer, George Lewis, using his identical twin brother, also played by John Hamilton,as cover for his crimes. This has Clark get his girlfriend newspaper reporter Barbara Mason, Joan Woodbury, to use her talents in making Harrison believe she's writing his biography to get in his mansion and find out what he's really up to. And she finds that out by innocently playing his piano that he, in being deft, is not supposed to be able to hear! Confusing ending with Harrison being caught red-handed and about to be arrested trying to do himself in by swallowing a vile of poison. Only to fail miserably by having the poison vile knocked out of his hand and ending up facing the bar of justice.
David (Handlinghandel) This is not great film art. However, I found it fun. It does its job: It is breezy at times. It has romantic elements between Joan Woodbury and Dick Purcell. And it is frightening: The central concept, that a man who can neither hear nor speak and is never at the scene of the crime is a ruthless killer, has a nightmarish quality.Ms. Woodbury gets several costume changes. They aren't always logical. She plays an ambitious newspaper reporter. In one sequence, we find her interviewing a central character while wearing an evening gown! (Yes, it's in the daytime.) Discovering films from Monogram is generally fun. Sometimes they don't pan out. This one, whether or not it is a remake of "The Sphinx," does. It held my attention without fail.
dbborroughs Remake of the Linoel Atwill thriller the Sphinx has been rethought so its now a jokey romance between an Assistant District Attorney and a reporter. Its not bad, but where the original was a creepy thriller, this is too light to be truly gripping, especially if you've seen the original.The plot has ADA Dick Purcell investigating the murder of a wealthy individual. The one suspect, a known deaf mute played by John Hamilton was seen to talk by a janitor (Montan Moreland) at the crime scene, while he was seen by dozens of witnesses, including the reporter, at a dedication ceremony. The solution here is so clumsy as to be obvious well before its revealed making the film unexciting. The result is we're left with the not a great deal to hold our interest, and the feeling that once again a very good original should not have been remade.