IMDb RATING
6.5/10
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A medical researcher visits the deserted home of a pioneer in cryogenic science who disappeared 10 years earlier and finds him frozen in ice but still alive.A medical researcher visits the deserted home of a pioneer in cryogenic science who disappeared 10 years earlier and finds him frozen in ice but still alive.A medical researcher visits the deserted home of a pioneer in cryogenic science who disappeared 10 years earlier and finds him frozen in ice but still alive.
Bruce Bennett
- State Trooper
- (uncredited)
James Conaty
- Doctor Spectator
- (uncredited)
Minta Durfee
- Frozen Therapy Patient
- (uncredited)
Charles Halton
- Doctor in Front Row in Final Scene
- (uncredited)
William Marion
- Doctor Spectator
- (uncredited)
Ivan Miller
- Sheriff Haley
- (uncredited)
Wedgwood Nowell
- Doctor Spectator
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaShooting began February 16, 1940, released April 18.
- GoofsIn an early scene, the calendar date of "Saturday, March 16" is prominently displayed on Dr. Kravaal's wall. This is the actual 1940 calendar date, the year when the movie was filmed. However, later when the doctor and others are revived from a frozen sleep, they are informed that they have been frozen for ten years and that the year is now 1940. If that is the case, then the original calendar page on Dr. Kravaal's wall should have read "Saturday, March 15" which was the correct date in 1930.
- Quotes
Dr. Tim Mason: [demonstrating his cryogenic technique to other doctors with a cancer patient] Metabolism at this time is practically nil!
- ConnectionsFeatured in Classic Nightmares: The Man with Nine Lives (1958)
Featured review
It's an unusually intelligent storyline for a horror flick. In short, what are the ethical limits to scientific experimentation, even in finding a cure for cancer. Using what is now called "cryogenics", Dr. Kravaal (Karloff) crowds those limits while experimenting with a cancer cure on a remote island. Unfortunately, the promising experiments require live subjects who may not be so lucky. Dr. Mason (Pryor), one of the men trapped on the island with Kravaal, is torn by Kravaal's challenge to conventional ethics. So he's the one we sympathize with as we struggle with the same dilemma-- just how much can be sacrificed in finding a cure.
By no means does Karloff ham up his role. Instead he's perfect as a dedicated and distinguished medical scientist, more obsessed than evil. Except for actor Brown's overdone Adams, the rest of the cast also manages conflicted roles. Credit Columbia for the riveting sets-- for example, the cabin about to be eaten by dead plants, the many dingy underground scenes that really do look subterranean, the laboratory that really looks worked in. All in all, it's an unusually well mounted flick for its subject matter. If there's a problem, it's with the absence of a clear bad guy to heighten a sense of horror amid the dark surroundings. I don't get a sense of menace common to the genre. Instead, the 74-minutes is more like a "think piece", which all in all, may be more worthwhile than a good scare.
By no means does Karloff ham up his role. Instead he's perfect as a dedicated and distinguished medical scientist, more obsessed than evil. Except for actor Brown's overdone Adams, the rest of the cast also manages conflicted roles. Credit Columbia for the riveting sets-- for example, the cabin about to be eaten by dead plants, the many dingy underground scenes that really do look subterranean, the laboratory that really looks worked in. All in all, it's an unusually well mounted flick for its subject matter. If there's a problem, it's with the absence of a clear bad guy to heighten a sense of horror amid the dark surroundings. I don't get a sense of menace common to the genre. Instead, the 74-minutes is more like a "think piece", which all in all, may be more worthwhile than a good scare.
- dougdoepke
- Oct 4, 2019
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Behind the Door
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 14 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was The Man with Nine Lives (1940) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer