Doctor X (1932)

• Year: 1932
• Released: 27 Aug 1932
• Country: United States
• Adwords: 1 nomination
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022827/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/doctor_x
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: Unrated
• Genre: Comedy, Crime, Horror
• Runtime: 76 min
• Writer: Robert Tasker, Earl Baldwin, Howard Warren Comstock
• Director: Michael Curtiz
• Cast: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Lee Tracy
• Keywords: new york city, experiment, pre-code, reporter, mad scientist,

	6.4/10
	82% – Critics
	49% – Audience

Doctor X Storyline

The New York newspapers have dubbed him “The Moon Killer.” He stalks the streets at night, strangling and cannibalizing men and women, young and old. There have been six victims so far, and the police believe that a scientist at the Academy of Surgical Research is responsible. Is it Dr. Wells, with the missing left hand, who studied cannibals in Africa? Is it Dr. Haines, who looks at erotic magazines and once may have cannibalized a fellow while adrift at sea? Is it Dr. Rowitz, who analyzes moon rays and writes poetry? Is it Dr. Duke, an obstreperous paralytic? Or is it Dr. Xavier, a.k.a. Dr. X, who runs the academy? Dr. X’s young and lovely daughter will be instrumental in solving the crime, as will the hysterical maid and the sinister butler. Our trip through this morbid tale is guided by the wisecracking reporter who will find himself toe-tagged, gassed, tossed around and generally manhandled before the mystery is solved.

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Doctor X Movie Reviews

Atwill Begins

The police are investigating a series of murders where victims have been cut up by scalpel and cannibalized. The murders always take place on a night with a full moon. They trace the scalpels to a nearby surgical academy. The head of the academy, Dr. Xavier (Lionel Atwill), doesn’t believe someone at the academy is the killer and asks police for a chance to prove this using his own scientific methods. Also on the trail of the killer is reporter Lee Taylor (Lee Tracy). Taylor is suspicious of Doctor Xavier but when he meets the doctor’s daughter (Fay Wray) he becomes smitten. Allowed only 48 hours to prove his case, Xavier gathers all the suspects at his mansion to perform his experiment. But things don’t go as planned and another murder is committed.

Doctor X is a classic horror-mystery that has many points of interest for film fans. For starters, the two-color Technicolor process it was filmed in was new for the time. It also has great Max Factor makeup that looks especially nice in the early Technicolor. Another thing, it’s a pre-Code film. Cannibalism, a major part of the plot, wouldn’t have been allowed just a short time later. Lastly it’s the horror debut of one of the greats of the genre, Lionel Atwill. Atwill would go on to a great career making many horror films, including two more with Wray the following year. He always brought class and dignity to his usually villainous roles. He’s great here as well.

The major complaint about the film seems to be directed at Lee Tracy’s comic character. He is probably the worst part of the movie, but not because his performance is bad. He does fine with what he’s supposed to do. It’s just that comedy in horror films is usually best left to minor supporting roles not for the male lead in the film. However, I personally feel he’s not obnoxious enough to hurt the film significantly. It’s still very fun and very interesting, both from a film history perspective as well as sheer entertainment value. I would recommend all fans of classic horror films check it out.

kind of interesting AND dull!

This is an unusual film in that it was filmed in two-color Technicolor–an early and expensive film process that created a less than thrilling version of color. In the 1920s when it was developed, it must have seen pretty amazing, as it was the first color film process used in Hollywood. However, compared to later Technicolor, it’s pretty ugly because it uses overlapping film reels to create an effect that is kind of like color, but not. That’s because one strip was traditional black and white, one was a red-orange and one was a green-blue strip. So, as a result, everything looked pretty orangy and green–and was far from true color.

Apart from the fact it was one of only a few films made with this process, it’s a somewhat forgettable horror film. While it is not bad, it cannot sustain its energy and has many dull lulls until the very exciting and rather unexpected conclusion. I think part of this was due to the acting and part written for Lee Tracy. I never particularly liked Tracy in films as he always seemed to play obnoxious reporters or publicity agents. It was so hard to like him that I was really hoping that the maniac would kill him sooner or later! Speaking of the maniac, this was a pretty good part of the movie. It seems that someone that works in the research center run by Dr. X was responsible for a string of murders–but who?!! And, fortunately, the person responsible isn’t who most viewers would expect, so I really have to admire the film for being well written–at least in this area.

By the way, Fay Wray is in the film and like usual, she screams a lot (sometimes for no apparent reason) and once again proves to me she wasn’t much of an actress–mostly because her characters NEVER had any depth. Just a year later, she and Lionel Atwill (who is always excellent) once again appeared in a horror film together (THE MYSTERY OF THE HOUSE OF WAX). In this, as well as KING KONG, Ms. Wray yells and stands around a lot,…and that’s about all. Sort of like a woman who plays the perennial victim.

A Monstrous Human Being

The fact that Doctor X was shot in color was pretty rare in 1932 with most of the studios existing from day to day during the Depression. Very few had money to splurge on something like this. Knowing that I’m surprised Warner Brothers didn’t bother to use it on one of their Busby Berkeley spectaculars.

There have been a string of mutilation killings in New York, really horrible stuff and forensics has determined the weapon used was a special kind of surgical scalpel only in use at a particular scientific institute. The one headed by Doctor Xavier the Doctor X of the movie title.

Atwill’s got some pull with the cops because they allow him 48 hours to find who the killer is and save his institute some scandalous press. The press is in the form of Lee Tracy a determined reporter who sneaks into the institute looking for the inside scoop. He meets up with Fay Wray who is Atwill’s daughter, but even she doesn’t deter him from his mission.

Horror stories were not the Warner Brothers specialty and when you consider what was coming out of Universal at the time, Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy, Doctor X looks pretty second rate besides them. No monsters in this film except the truly monstrous human being who is doing all the homicides.

Warner Brothers seven years later did The Return Of Doctor X which has absolutely nothing to do with this film and provided Humphrey Bogart with one of the worst roles in his career. Next to that one, Doctor X is like Citizen Kane.