“LOMBARD POSSESSED”

By Raymond Benson

Victor Halperin and his brother Edward were a Hollywood filmmaking team in the early 30s who specialized in low budget schlock, for lack of a better description. Sort of the William Castle of the era. For example, they were responsible for the Bela Lugosi eye-roller, White Zombie (1932).

How they got Carole Lombard to star in this hoot of a pre-code horror film is more of a wonder than the film itself, but here she is in all her blonde beauty, playing a non-comedic, almost villainous, role. Supernatural is exactly the type of movie you might have seen as a kid on the Friday or Saturday late night TV horror presentation hosted by a kitsch spooky host like Elvira or Svengoolie or Count Floyd of “Monster Chiller Horror Theater” (SCTV fans will get that reference). The flick is short, cheap, unintentionally funny, and dumb—but a heck of a lot of fun for its sixty-four-minute runtime.

A murderous black widow-type woman, Ruth Rogen (Vivienne Osborne) is executed for killing three lovers (after an “all night orgy,” we’re told—after all, this is pre-code!), but she had always insisted that a man was responsible for the murders. She apparently had psychic powers, and Dr. Houston (H. B. Warner) believes she will attempt to get revenge from the afterlife. That other man is a charlatan medium, Paul Bavian (Alan Dinehart), who now has his sights set on a wealthy heiress, Roma Courtney (Lombard). Roma has just lost her brother, John, so Bavian attempts to “contact” him in a séance in an effort to trick Roma out of her inheritance. Without giving too much away, let’s just say that Ruth Rogen’s malevolent spirit swoops in and possesses Roma in order to get back at Bavian.

Lombard reportedly didn’t enjoy making the film, but she’s surprisingly effective at being the grieving, innocent, and beautiful Roma who then turns deliciously nasty after Ruth has taken over her body. Dinehart is appropriately campy in his part as the main villain, but poor Randolph Scott, as Roma’s boyfriend, is wasted in a set-dressing part. The visual effects, such as they are, are of the ilk achieved with lighting, shadows, and a few wires.

Kino Lorber’s high definition restoration looks remarkably good, and it comes with English subtitles for the hearing impaired. The only supplement is an audio commentary by the reliable film historian Tim Lucas, along with trailers for this and other recent Kino Lorber releases.

So, turn out the lights, kids, and put on this verrrry scary movie! You’ll have nightmares for days!—or at least a few laughs.

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