The Invisible Ray: Lambert Hillyer

Lambert Hillyer's The Invisible Ray is one of the most unexpectedly beautiful low-budget horror films I've ever seen. Cinematographer George Robinson captures the film almost like a series of baroque tableaux, rich in mise-en-scène, careful balances of light and dark, and blocking which frequently utilizes empty space within medium-long and long shots. The plot is pure pulp, both deliciously absurd (an element from outer space turns a scientist into a walking death machine) and unfortunately racist (the less said about the Darkest Africa sequences, the better). It also helps that both Boris Karloff and Béla Lugosi are in top form!

8/10