Strange Illusion (1945)

Synopsis: In one of the most hallucinatory openings of 1940s movies, a boy's dead father comes to him in a dream, warning him to beware of the man his mother intends to remarry. The boy, Paul Cartwright... In one of the most hallucinatory openings of 1940s movies, a boy's dead father comes to him in a dream, warning him to beware of the man his mother intends to remarry. The boy, Paul Cartwright (James Lydon) wakes up from the dream, but finds it's coming true when he learns his mother (Sally Ethers) has been dating a slick charmer named Brett Curtis (Warren Williams). Paul suspects Brett's a murderer, but his mom and sister (Jayne Hazard) are too smitten to listen. It's HAMLET, American-style, as Paul gathers evidence with a can-do teen spirit the tortured Dane could never quite muster. Acclaimed "B" director Edgar G. Ulmer (DETOUR, BLUEBEARD) makes sure the proceedings are infused with enough gloomy predestination and bizarre touches to make this a favorite among fans of his unusual cinematic style. Charles Arnt plays a sinister psychiatrist who tries to get Paul to believe his visions are the result of "Oedipal jealousy." Regis Toomey plays another doctor, who has his doubts. With Jimmy Clark and Mary McLeod as Paul's teenage pals, this plays like Hitchock meets the Hardy Boys, and is worth seeking out. [More]

Starring: James Lydon, Warren William, Sally Eilers, Charles Arnt

Starring: James Lydon, Warren William, Sally Eilers, Charles Arnt, Regis Toomey

Director: Edgar G. Ulmer

Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
Screenwriter: Adele Comandini
Producer: Leon Fromkess
Composer: Leo Erdody

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