User reviews

This serial is really fun. I love the emoting of Bela Lugosi. He wants to rule the universe and, doggone it, nothing is going to stop him. There are many pitfalls along the way. One is the usual incompetent sidekick who can't follow orders worth a darn. Another is his inability to keep a low profile. He is always putting himself out there where someone is able to spoil his efforts. There are spies and government agents. His valuable meteor is stolen a couple of times but he quickly gets it back. There is one touching scene where he causes the death of his wife, but he quickly blames the government for her death. As with all serials, there are a series of cliffhanging endings to scenes and he always seems to come out unscathed. I have to admit I was actually pulling for him. The government agents are too boring to come out on top. You can't tell the spies from the government agents without a program. There is also this cool robot who suffers from the same infirmity of slow movement that seems to affect mummies in that other genre. It was interesting to see that it was Lugosi's character that caused the Hindenberg to burst into flame. He throws a little explosive dart at it from a plane. Who would have thought. Anyway, it's a lot of fun, it makes little sense, and at the end we feel a little cheated.

"The Phantom Creeps" was Bela Lugosi's last serial. It was produced by Universal where he achieved some of his greatest successes. As such and with the resources of the studio, I expected a better product. Instead what we get is a routine "mad scientist" serial filled with stock footage and obvious gaffs. As an example when Lugosi is supposed to be bombing the Federal Building, what we clearly see is a burning dirigible.

Anyway, the story has mad scientist Dr. Zorka (Lugosi) in possession of a piece of a meteorite which contains powers which enable him to create an 8 foot all powerful robot, an invisibility belt with which he can become invisible and move about unseen, the ability to induce suspended animation in his enemies by loosing tacky looking mechanical spiders upon them and God knows what else. Assisting him is his treacherous assistant Monk (Jack C. Smith) who is held under Zorka's control.

Opposing him are G-Men Bob West (Robert Kent) and Jim Daly (Regis Toomey), reporter Jean Drew (Dorothy Arnold) and Zorka's former partner Dr. Mallory (Edwin Stanley) who try to get hold of Zorka's box containing the meteorite fragment.

Also in the hunt are "spies" Jarvis (Edward Van Sloan) and Rankin (Anthony Averill). Zorka had originally intended on selling his invention to the highest bidder but when his wife is killed he goes mad and decides to take over the world himself.

Needless to say the "box" changes hands among the three adversaries over the course of the serial's 12 chapters until things are all tied up in Chapter 12.

Lugosi is way over the top as Zorka and with firmer direction might have saved this serial. Edward Van Sloan had appeared as Van Helsing with Lugosi in 1931's "Dracula". Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Also appearing in small roles are Eddie Acuff, Roy Barcroft, Lane Chandler, Edmund Cobb, Charles King, Forrest Taylor, stinting Tom Steele and Dave Sharpe and as a road foreman in Chapter 11 Lee J. Cobb.

Enjoyed this Classic Bela Lugosi film which was probably shown to audiences every Saturday in the afternoon and evenings along with two (2)other feature "B" movies, cartoons and a newsreel all for the cost of .35 cents in 1939 and probably less money than that amount. This film was a head of its time, with a great Sci-Fi story and robot to go along with the entire horror. There is plenty of action, airplane crashes, jumping out of planes and bombs going off and one crazy looking robot. Dorothy Arnold appeared in this film as a reporter for a newspaper who was always popping up at the wrong time. Dorothy was very attractive and with a sexy figure who was once married to Joe DiMaggio, the famous baseball player who later married Marilyn Monroe. Bela Lugosi gave an outstanding performance and was making films like three or four in one month. Enjoy a great Horror/Sci-Fi Oldie.

Another original serial with a different theme and another best because of Bela Lugosi who made it work. Plots in serials tended to be stale later on. This was an exceptionally good plot and well written for the cliffhanger serial age. Invisibility and one of the robot theme scripts added to the thrills. I always thought it emulated Joe Louis.

As serials go, this really isn't bad. The plot, though goofy, at least makes sense and isn't repetitive (unlike the mind-bogglingly boring "Commando Cody" serial). By this time, poor Lugosi was already typecast, and he hams it on up screen but you never tire of his antics. The rest of the cast unfortunately is off the typical serial "bad-acting" crowd.

Are there any good prints out there of this? The version I saw was terrible and half the time it was too dark to make sense of what was going on.

To me, this 12 part serial seemed a touch cliche, but it was still quite enjoyable. If you are not a fan of the classic horror genre or of Bela Lugosi, you may wish to pass on this one, but if you like corny old Bela films, you are in for a REAL treat.

One point of interest to me was that I can't help but think George Lucas had watched this serial in particular when he was preparing for Star Wars. The title of the series is "The Phantom Creeps" with the first Episode being titled "The Menacing Power" (Phantom Menace anyone?) Additionally, the scrolling text of Star Wars seems to owe a lot to this serial right down to the usage of capitalization. You'll have to wait for Chapter 2 to get your first glimpse of how it's used- Chapter 1 has no foreward.

This is the first serial I've seen, though, so it's possible that the scrolling text is common with most serials.

There are two versions of THE PHANTOM CREEPS. There is the movie serial that lasts 265 minutes and a severely truncated version that lasts only 78 minutes and was released as a full-length movie. This review is for the 78 minute version and in no way is indicative of the overall quality of the longer film.

Bela Lugosi is a mad scientist and unlike many crazed scientists, he is a man of many talents. Not only has he developed a cool giant killer robot but he's got his hand in many other experiments--the most exciting of which is his invisibility formula. When his wife and a friend learn of his work AND hear that he's willing to sell his work to anyone who is willing to pay, they threaten to go to the authorities. Doing this was a good idea--TELLING this insane and amoral scientist before you do it isn't! And, after disposing of them, Lugosi decides to use his new 'toys' to threaten mankind and all the usual junk you'd expect from such a film.

Because the full-length film was so savagely chopped to pieces, the film was very hard to follow and was very disjoint. It looked at times like a serial (which usually have tons of holes to begin with) but was practically impossible to care about. My advice is skip this one and look for the serial IF you have 4-1/2 hours to spare!!

Classic bad over the top mess that is pure camp and a joy to watch. Bela Lugosi plays a mad scientist who discovers a new element and uses it to make one of the most ridiculous looking robots ever to grace the screen, an invisibility belt and some explosives. It's the typical everyone thinks I'm mad (even though I really am) so I'll hide away and get my revenge on those who slighted me and at the same time I'll try to take over the world. It's a blast. Oh yea its awful, but at this point its good awful. No doubt they were playing to the kids who watched the serials only to have it change into something else. Its classic nonsense. If nothing else it's a film to watch with friends and pick apart (Mystery Science Theater 3000 did several of the chapters). The best way to know what your reaction to the film is going to be is look for a picture of the great hulking robot, if you are a mused by it then by all means watch this. If you're repulsed by it then you may want to reconsider this as a viewing option. Recommended for those who want a silly good time.

(Try not to see the feature version of the serial. While not horrible its really not that good and it lost a great deal of the charm of the serial in the removing large chunks of plot)

As an avid serial fan, I have to say that this is one of my favorite serials of all time! Why? Many serials tend to be predictable, but this one contains a lot of interesting concepts -- giant robots, invisibility belts, "z-ray guns", "neometers", mechanical "death spiders" and other futuristic gadgets.

Plus, I'm a Bela Lugosi fan, and it is generally considered that he was at his peak in this film. He shows genuine sorrow when his Wife dies in the beginning of the film, and a madness to destroy those he blames for his death.

Many people on the East Coast saw this film on Officer Joe Bolton's TV show (circa 1960) and have never forgotten it.

Must see!

If you ask me - It was clearly the unintentionally hilarious, 8-foot-tall, sour-faced robot who, literally, stole the show whenever he/it made an appearance on screen.

I thought that this gleaming, metallic robot-man was a total scream of low-budget, 1930's, Sci-Fi schlock.

And, if this galvanized dude had been given more screen-time (rather than so much given over to that gloating wind-bag, Bela Lugosi), then I think that The Phantom Creeps would've surely been about 10x better, in the long run.

Complete with nosey news-reporters, aggressive G-Men, and bungling lab assistants, The Phantom Creeps starred Bela Lugosi as Prof. Zorka (a crazed but brilliant inventor of several impressive devices) who is gleefully planning to take over the world before anyone gets wise to what's up. (Hey! Isn't that just how Hitler got himself into power?)

With its bargain-basement visual effects and absolutely cornball acting, The Phantom Creeps was generally an enjoyable enough movie-experience. But, hey, that, of course, depends on one's frame of mind when watching this sort of vintage, haywire nonsense (courtesy of Universal Studios).

This is a serial, like the classic Radar Men on the Moon, and Buck Rogers. Unlike it's compressed TV movie version (1949), this more protracted version of Phantom Creeps wanders all over the map at a frenetic pace.

The Phantom Creeps is everything an old classic B sci-fi serial is supposed to be. It features Bela Lugosi (as Dr. Zorka), a mad megalomaniac genius with a utility belt and a sack of gadgets that would make Batman and James Bond blush, against a team of CIA-types, a reporter, and local law enforcement. Lugosi hams up a storm and really seems to enjoy himself in this immensely silly role. His somewhat untrustworthy and dull side-kick, played by Jack Smith is a great foil to his overbearing stage presence, and he makes a truly great sadist! The film is replete with clever and creative (for its time) special effects (plane crashes, all sorts of random electrical currents, cloaking technology) and a lot of technobabble reminiscent of some of the less palatable Star Trek series. For an added bonus, the creators threw in a plot, and a cast of well developed, if stereotyped, characters.

Ultimately, it's mindless, kinda trashy entertainment, but it's also a damn good time.

What a great sci-fi/horror movie this was,, Bela Lugosi gives a wonderful performance as a scientist type who wants to take over the world. he has a secret room in his house where he does all the work with his assistant, and he has a secret underground cave like area as well.. lot's going on in this movie,, plane crashes , bombs going off, faked death, and Lugosi actually has quite the funny line in the movie,, that left me rolling,, but you will have to watch to see that one, but it happens right after they give a ride to a hitchhiker while on the run. There is a robot in the movie as well,, I think that this movie was way ahead of it's time if you ask me,,, very enjoyable to watch,, I wouldn't even consider this a "b" movie at all. Sure it's not Dracula or Frankenstein,, but then again it doesn't need to be.

As far as horror movies go id have to say this is a b-horror film... though its not really scary in the least. Maybe it's just my liking for Bela Lugosi, but I liked this movie.

And if you like his robot soldier in this movie you can see him again and again in the rob zombie music video "Dragula" dancing strangely in the back ground.

The acting in this movie isn't anything special, neither are the effects, but if you go into a 1939 low budget movie looking for either of those things then you should step back and take a look at why you even bother.

In the 30's and the 40's,universal(like republic pictures)produced many serials(action films viewed in chapters)dealing with superheroes,outer space,mad scientists and war, In this 12 chapter serial released by universal in 1939, bela lugosi(famous for playing vampires,mad doctors and monsters)plays doctor zorka,a mad doctor who has discovered an atomic meteorite,he harnesses its power,he then decides to sell it to spies,when a reporter(dorothy arnold) and a government agent(robert kent)set out to stop doctor zorka from destroying the world with the meteorite,they must battle spies,doctor zorka's explosive mechanical spiders and a giant robot through 12 chapters to save the world!an impressive serial,an incredible performance from lugosi and the supporting cast,and plenty of special effects,also seen in this serial is edward van sloan(who plays jarvis the spy chief) who starred along with bela lugosi in universals dracula(1931)!

it's worth watching

A lot of these early sci-fi films (and even modern) are centered around 1 innovation, creation, or invention that gives a bad guy an upper hand. Doctor Zorka, on the other hand, has really put a lot of time, research, and thought in to a revolutionary power source. Quite a bit of intrigue, cat-and-mouse, and ruses ensue in a surprisingly punchy movie (with of course actual punches). Plenty of action, the writing holds out reasonably well through most of the film, and the actors click into their cliché roles without too much distraction.

The wheels begin to come off of the cart near the end though, as the brilliant doctor seems to uncharacteristically lose control, overly trust, and flat-out hackneyed looses it instead of holding to original diabolical plans. Maybe that's what happens when a person goes insane, but would've made a better, more consistent watch if he were outsmarted.

I'm a fellow of pretty meager talents as both an amateur critic and a creative artist, but one thing I AM quite good at is spotting and appreciating the kernel of goodness in media so creaky and weird that almost everyone else writes it off. So, it's with the confidence of a crazy man about to declare the sky is green that I say that the 1939 Bela Lugosi serial/movie "The Phantom Creeps" could be AMAZING if remade for a modern audience with modern effects. I've been watching it bit by bit over the past two weeks, and it's a hoot.

Here's the thing: I could fill a book with everything that's technically wrong with "The Phantom Creeps". It's so supremely bonkers and contains so many outlandish plot elements that you have to wonder what Depression-era screenwriters were smoking back in 1939. But I'll be darned if it isn't extremely entertaining, and 90% of that is due to the presence of one of the few true "chaotic neutral" characters I have ever witnessed in entertainment.

The short version of this story, if that's possible, is that a mad scientist has discovered a mysterious meteorite that's so powerful that it could allow its owner to take over the world. The mad scientist wants it, the US government wants it, and foreign spies want it... only, now it seems the mad scientist died in a freak car accident. Or did he? (HINT: Nope.)

Like many action-serials of its time, it features a chisel-chinned, hard-punching "man of action" lawman hero, a beautiful reporter dame who keeps sticking her nose into danger, and a cadre of typical villainous spies and gangsters. But you also have Bela Lugosi's character, Dr. Zorka, the mad scientist who is ostensibly the villain of the show and the "Phantom" of its title. The weird thing is that he's a *secret* villain the entire series; everyone but his assistant believes he's dead! He's just a regular, middle-aged dude with no special powers and below-average fighting ability, and his entire success or failure hinges on everyone continuing to believe he's deceased. His put-upon assistant and goon (Monk) is an escaped convict of equally low caliber as a fighter and is liable to getting thrown in jail at any moment, making him even more vulnerable than his boss.

However, thanks to his insane arsenal of cool inventions (including exploding spiders, an invisibility belt, and the ugliest giant robot you've ever seen) Zorka is a real threat... maybe THE major threat. You're obviously supposed to consider him the villain of the series due to his desire to take over the world, but it's almost impossible not to root for him as the smartest character in the room and a fascinatingly amoral (not immoral) underdog. As long as the Phantom creeps around corners and stays in the shadows... he's got a chance. And maybe the world would be better off if it *was* run by this eccentric genius.

If remade in the modern era, I think this series would do best to amp up the campiness if it decided to keep all of the bizarre trappings of the original (in terms of Zorka's inventions), but it could also be a very loose adaptation that just kept his invisibility belt. In any case, the whole aspect of having this believed-dead mad scientist act as a chaos agent who is using his brain and cunning to screw with significantly more powerful forces of "vanilla" good and evil really works. And although he was a delight in the role, it's an idea that doesn't require an actor of Bela Lugosi's caliber to make it a winner.

Getting back to the original serial and away from hypotheticals, though, it was loads of fun, providing the viewer can appreciate camp in high doses. This serial is absolutely ridiculous, and is all the better for it. As with many serials of this era, you can either watch the full 12-episode series or a "summary" movie released later that pares the whole thing down to just 60 minutes. If you enjoy Lugosi or this kind of campy sci-fi, give the full series a watch. If you're just wanting to get the flavor of the thing, the movie will do.

The Phantom Creeps is from a 12-part serial. I've never seen the serial I would not mind watching it after watching this fun film.

Bela Lugosi is Dr. Alex Zorka, a scientist with technology that can destroy the world. The military and a reporter are hot on the trail of Dr. Zorka! How can they stop him?

The movie is crazy mad scientist fun!! The mechanical man (robot) is a real hoot! And that creepy spider they have running around.. lol. This is one of those corny but oh-so-good type of sci-fi films that fans of the classic sci-fi films and Lugosi should love.

This is one of those afternoon popcorn flicks that will brighten up your day. It's a really fun film. Bela Lugosi is trying to take over the world!! :D

7/10