Highly Overrated But Still Good

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Billy "B-Movie" Beaudine Directed this Monogram Movie with about as Much Creativity as His other 300 Films. Competent and Quick the Man who went on to Helm..."Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter" (1966) and "Billy the Kid vs Dracula" (1966) along with many Others that "Bad Movie" Archaeologists have Dug Up and Poked Fun. This is a Transparent Plot Paraded Out for Non-Discerning Wartime Audiences. There are some Amusing Cultural References about Sinking the Japs and a Reference to "Superman" that made His Comic Book Debut only Three Years Earlier.Pop-Eyed and always Poking Fun at Himself and His Race, Mantan Moreland is On Hand for a while, "Feets don't fail me now!", but is Surprisingly Absent after a Brief Gin Guzzling Opening. John Hamilton (TV's Perry White) is the "Villain" along with Three Leading Actors that no one can or Should Remember, because They basically Show Up, Read Lines and Annoy the Audience.The Title is Better than the Movie and the Movie is Better than Being on the Bottom End of a Bomb Run.Note...A Title Card shown at the end of the Movie asks for 80,000,000 Theater Patrons to "Buy Bonds Now", and many did. Movie goers were generous Patriots throughout WWII and helped the War effort substantially.Note 2…Someone on IMDb should remove the poster on this title page. It is almost as embarrassing as this Movie.

This independent B film which had a few familiar faces in the cast had some interesting elements, but in the end doesn't quite make it. John Hamilton known better to early television fans as Perry White in the Superman series is a well known philanthropist who is seen at the scene of several murders of other people in the financial field. But he's got a nice alibi. Every time one of those murders takes place Hamilton is also seen at some public event.Nevertheless and I think rather stupidly ace prosecutor Dick Purcell proceeds with an indictment against him with only janitor Mantan Moreland as a witness to Hamilton at the scene of a murder. No way in real life or on Law And Order would Purcell take such a flimsy case to trial.But even when he loses Purcell continues on with the investigation even with his girlfriend, reporter Joan Woodbury giving him the horse laugh.This film had some potential to be better than it was. But there were too many loose ends in the plot and bizarre behavior by some of the characters in the story line of Phantom Killer.However Mantan Moreland on the witness stand is hilarious. Would that the rest of Phantom Killer was as good.

This is directed to the guy who gives the kudos in "Phantom Killer" to Jack Benny's valet/chef/chauffeur/right-hand-man Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. You got it wrong, fellow. That was not Rochester playing Nicodemus, the janitor who sees a man talk who can't talk. Nope. It was the great Mantan Moreland. BTW, this low budget Monogram 2-reeler is fun, especially if you're a fan of the dozens of Old Dark House mysteries that were produced in the 30s & 40s. Mantan, who died in 1973 at age 71, is probably best remembered these days as Birmingham Brown, Charlie Chan's driver and cohort to Charlie's Numbers One, Two & Three sons in 14 Charlie Chan movies from 1944-1949. Mantan also had solid roles in "King of the Zombies" (1941), "Dressed to Kill" (1941) with Lloyd Nolan as shamus Mike Shayne, "The Strange Case of Dr. RX" (1942) with another great, Lionel Atwill and many other fun films. He acted into the 1970s when he appeared in such TV series as "Love, American Style" and "Adam-12." Mantan has deservedly been remembered in beloved fashion by many and needs to be recognized here.

A fun movie, but not as good as the original, The Sphinx, from 1933. John Hamilton cannot hold a candle to Lionel Atwill. The Phantom Killer's major asset is the supporting boost from the wonderful Mantan Moreland. For an interesting evening, run The Sphinx and The Phantom Killer back-to-back.