Simply Perfect

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Having seen this film at the tender age of nine, the images of a "headless ghost" walking around, conjured up nightmares for many nights to come. For a "b" film running a bit under one hour, The Mysterious Doctor manages to convey the proper amount of chills. While not in the Val Lewton class, the cast of Lester Matthews John Loder, Elenor Powell and a standout performance by Matt Willis,atmospheric photography of fog shrouded moors and an eerie score all combine to perhaps take the film up a bit from an average " b" thriller. The ending might seem sugary to todays viewers, but one must take into account that these were the war years.Having just recently seen it again on line, I still enjoyed the movie after all these years!

"The Mysterious Doctor" (1943) is a fun, fairly predictable WWII propaganda film. Lots of fog and fear in and around the English village of Morgan's Head. A stranger comes out of nowhere, steps out of the fog and flags down a horse and cart for a free ride into town. The driver is willing as long as it's a pick-up and delivery. He won't be staying.The stranger is Dr. Frederick Holmes. (Sherlock's little brother?) He arrives at the Inn and learns the story of the closed tin mine, the village of "Morgan's Head" and the headless ghost who came into being when 2 miners fight to the death. When it's finished Black Morgan loses his head. Since then several miners have died the same way. Next the village squire enters and meets their visitor. He learns that Dr. Holmes' has decided to stay longer and explore the closed mine. (On the spur of the moment? Oh sure. Uh-uh. Whatever!) The next day the good doctor heads out and disappears and a headless corpse is found in the mine. Hmmm, could it be that the story has lost one of it's heroes already? Considering it's 1943 WWII movie at least he died for his country. (Or somebody's anyway.)***The Spoiler***About the participants suspicious or otherwise: We know right away that Letty is OK. She takes care of and protects 'Slow Bart'. Kit, the loyal soldier, must be OK because he loves Letty. Is 'Slow Bart' who he seems to be? Is Dr. Holmes on the right side or just dead? How about Sir Henry where does he spend his time when away from "HIS" village? Who is left? How about the list of other usual suspects in the crowd? Could they be involved? Hmmm.Cast: John Loder as Sir Henry Leland, Eleanor Parker as Letty Carstairs (born in Cedarville, Ohio, Eleanor does a great job with the British accent), Bruce Lester as Lt. Christopher 'Kit' Hilton, Lester Matthews as Dr. Frederick Holmes, Matt Willis as Bart Redmond (the mentally challenged villager) does very well.

"The Mysterious Doctor" is an enjoyable, atmospheric B movie about a unmine-able tin mine in Morgan's Head, England, due to the presence of a headless ghost. It's wartime and the country needs the tin, but no amount of persuading can get the workers back after so many people have been killed by the spirit, which goes back to a local legend in the town.It sure feels and looks British, and the cast includes a young, vibrant Eleanor Parker who fits right in with actors John Loder and others.This is an excellent little wartime gem. Don't miss it when it's on TCM.

The doctor of the title is Dr. Frederick Holmes (Lester Matthews). He comes upon a small, fog-bound English village in WWII England. It contains a tin mine--tin which is badly needed in the war against the Nazis. But the local men are terrified to go into the mine because of the headless ghost that roams the mine and kills people. The bodies start piling up and the village starts to get very panicked....Strange combo of patriotism and horror story. The plot is totally predictable (although there were a few surprises at the end) and this has a cast of B actors (John Loder, Eleanor Parker) or total unknowns. Still, it's pretty good. The settings are fairly elaborate (I suspect they were shooting on the sets of other films), the constant fog provides a nice spooky atmosphere, the appearances of the ghost are kind of fun and the acting is pretty decent--Parker especially does wonders with her role as "the girl" and Loder is tall, handsome and seems to be really enjoying himself.Nothing new or thrilling but competent and quick (59 minutes). There are worse ways to kill an hour.