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Strange Illusion

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5.4/10 • 21

1945-03-311h 27m

ThrillerMystery

An adolescent believes that his widowed mother's suitor may have murdered his father.

Directors
Edgar G. Ulmer
Editors
Carl Pierson

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Jimmy Lydon

    Jimmy Lydon

    Paul Cartwright

  2. Warren William

    Warren William

    Brett Curtis

  3. Sally Eilers

    Sally Eilers

    Virginia Cartwright

  4. Regis Toomey

    Regis Toomey

    Dr. Vincent

  5. Charles Arnt

    Charles Arnt

    Professor Muhlbach

  6. George H. Reed

    George H. Reed

    Benjamin

  7. Jayne Hazard

    Jayne Hazard

    Dorothy Cartwright

  8. Jimmy Clark

    Jimmy Clark

    George Hanover

  9. Mary McLeod

    Mary McLeod

    Lydia

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Mar 22, 2025

7/10

Shortly after his father dies, the bright young “Paul” (Jimmy Lydon) starts to have nightmares that his mother’s new beau is, in some way, behind the death. Of course, she (Sally Ellers) doesn’t know of his spooky suspicions, but he does confide in his doctor (Regis Toomey) who is sceptical to begin with, but who begins to wonder if this man “Curtis” (Warren William) is indeed whom he claims to be. Might he have had an hand in the seemingly accidental death of the father - who was a judge? As the story develops, the young lad has to take up residence at the asylum of the enigmatic “Prof. Muhlbach” (Charles Ant) and the plot thickens more. Is there any truth to his dreaming or is he just a succumbing to the stresses and strains of his father’s death and of his mother’s impending nuptials? Lydon holds this together enthusiastically and as the mystery deepens, it has a slightly more sinister feel to it than many of these standard afternoon features. It also touches, albeit superficially, on the effects of grief on the young man and offers us something psychologically plausible for a while as “Paul” struggles to conclude himself whether he is correct or just losing the plot. Speaking of plots, yes there are some familiarities with other noir mysteries here, but Lydon does well and this certainly is just a little more menacingly different.

Media

  • Strange Illusion poster
  • Strange Illusion poster
  • Strange Illusion poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
widowsuspicion of murderfilm noirb moviefamily tensioncollege student