Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to see this movie look this good. For years there were only public domain copies of the U.S. release known as THE HUMAN MONSTER with each new offering getting marginally better but nothing to compare with this Network release of the original British version. The picture is sharp and clear like it must have looked on its first appearance in cinemas back in 1940. The problematic audio has been cleaned up considerably to where you can hear every word and even if you can’t there are optional subtitles to help you out.
Lugosi made 3 trips to England to make movies. The first was in 1935 for an early Hammer Films effort, THE MYSTERY OF THE MARY CELESTE known as THE PHANTOM SHIP in the U.S. Then there was DARK EYES in 1939. Finally in 1952 it was OLD MOTHER RILEY MEETS THE VAMPIRE (VAMPIRE OVER LONDON in America) made when Lugosi was 70 years old and in declining health. This is the best of the three although MARIE CELESTE is a close second. The first two scripts gave Lugosi a chance to be the star and to act outside his usual range. Lugosi loved working in England where he was admired and respected.
Dr Orloff is one of his most sinister mad doctors second only to Dr Vollin in THE RAVEN. He can be charming and helpful then diabolical and cruel. He can even hypnotize when he wants to. The story is taken from a novel by Edgar Wallace which concerns a scam where people are insured and then killed for the benefits with the money supposedly going to help a home for the blind. One of the victim’s daughters investigates along with an inspector from Scotland Yard and together they uncover the truth. Wilfred Walter scores as Lugosi’s hulking blind henchman Jake while Greta Gynt is an atypically strong heroine.
I’m not sure what the source material was, but if it isn’t from the original negative then it’s a first generation copy. Sound and picture are almost perfect and it even has the British Board of Censors “H” certificate (the first of its kind) at the beginning. Bonus features include commentary, featurettes, and lobby cards. DARK EYES now joins Boris Karloff’s THE GHOUL and THE MAN WHO CHANGED HIS MIND in quality home editions. Now if only a restored version of MARY CELESTE/PHANTOM SHIP could be released then we would have all four of the top Lugosi / Karloff offerings
The Capsule Critic 