Between 1933 and 1936, Boris Karloff returned to his native England to make three movies. For many years these three films were out of circulation and some were considered lost. They resurfaced around the turn of the century. The first two THE GHOUL and THE MAN WHO CHANGED HIS MIND are available in excellent prints on disc (but not streaming) while the third, JUGGERNAUT, is still awaiting a quality release. As of 2021 it exists only in a public domain print (both streaming and disc) which is second or third generation with poor sound and missing 11 of its 72 minutes.
While JUGGERNAUT is considered the weakest of the three, even in this battered condition it is not without interest especially for Karloff fans. He plays a scientist with not very long to live who loses the funding he needs to complete his research. He goes from Morocco to France where he encounters a rich young woman who is married to an aging, ailing millionaire. She persuades him to become her husband’s personal physician and to poison him so she can inherit the estate and maintain her young lover while giving Karloff the money for his research.
Everything goes according to plan until the tycoon’s son shows up and is granted control of the estate and Karloff’s nurse misplaces the syringe that he used to administer the poison. It then becomes necessary to kill the son and silence the nurse who learns the truth. The movie is based on a best selling novel by English writer Alice Campbell. The title refers to how events spiral out-of-control and gain momentum until the climax of the story is reached. Outside of England it was billed as THE DEMON DOCTOR for those unfamiliar with the book.
Karloff gives his customary fine performance and is given strong support by Anne Wyndham as the nurse and Arthur Margetson as the son. The sets are lavish for a low budget film and there are plenty of costumed extras for scenes that take place in a casino. The weak spot is the acting of French actress Mona Goya as the wife who raises hysterical histrionics to a whole new level. Still even in its truncated form it still manages to entertain especially if you enjoy Karloff and a setting among the English upper classes. Someday I hope to see the 72 minute version in a restored version with a clear picture and a cleaned up soundtrack.
The Capsule Critic 