Doctor X (1932)

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Rotten Tomatoes® Score
83% 48%

In Theaters: January 1, 1932 (limited)

1h 20m | Horror

Fay Wray screams when she first lays eyes on Lionel Atwill in Doctor X, but don't let that fool you. Atwill plays Fay's father this time around, and he may very well not be the diabolical Moon Murderer whom the police are seeking. Dr. Xavier (Atwill) maintains a research lab in a remote Long Island estate.

The police suspect that one of Xavier's assistants--all second-chancers whose previous misdemeanors range from botched experiments to cannibalism!--is the mysterious murderer who strikes only when the moon is full. Newspaper reporter Lee Tracy sneaks into the estate to get a swell scoop, whereupon he falls in love with Fay.

In trying to help the authorities, Xavier stages an elaborate trap for the Moon Murderer, with his daughter as the willing bait. The killer (we won't tell you who it is, but you'll figure it out anyway) reveals himself by coating his body with synthetic flesh, which gives him supernatural powers.

Based on a play by Howard C. Comstock and Allen C. Miner, Doctor X was originally filmed in two-color Technicolor; available for years only in black and white, the film was restored to its full tinted state in the 1970s.