The fog machine here is the star, presenting Hollywood's vision of the Cornwall mines, and presenting a story that is predictable but fun thanks to its chilling atmosphere. A headless ghost joins the creature of "Sh! The Octopus!" in presenting some chills, especially since you see the ghost right off, walking silently as it haunts the Cornwall night. A doctor named Holmes (Lester Matthews) shows up mysteriously, creating suspicion as all strangers seem to, and before long, he is found allegedly murdered, stabbed by the headless ghost while inspecting local iron mines. Before long, the townspeople are out to lynch town halfwit Matthew Wills in a scene straight out of "Frankenstein", but the pretty Eleanor Parker arranges for him to escape before the determined drunken townsmen do their worst. Of course there's more to the story than just a ghost, and being during World War II, it's easy to figure out.
Why this was not packaged with a series of Warner Brothers murder mystery horror comedies on DVD is a bigger mystery then what happens in the film. It has every element, and then some, that was prevalent in the others, and at under an hour, is a perfect part of a double or triple bill of similar films. John Loder, Bruce Lester and Forrester Harvey are also featured, with a great exposure of the real villain and believable explanations that correspond with history and the importance of the mine. Parker shows some spark in one of her earlier films, but it would take a dozen or more of these B films to move her into A leading lady status. This is an enjoyable rainy day / late night film, with the lights off of course, and you don't need to fog up your living room to enjoy it for the fog on screen.
Why this was not packaged with a series of Warner Brothers murder mystery horror comedies on DVD is a bigger mystery then what happens in the film. It has every element, and then some, that was prevalent in the others, and at under an hour, is a perfect part of a double or triple bill of similar films. John Loder, Bruce Lester and Forrester Harvey are also featured, with a great exposure of the real villain and believable explanations that correspond with history and the importance of the mine. Parker shows some spark in one of her earlier films, but it would take a dozen or more of these B films to move her into A leading lady status. This is an enjoyable rainy day / late night film, with the lights off of course, and you don't need to fog up your living room to enjoy it for the fog on screen.