Strange Illusion (1945) User Reviews (41)

"Sure we know, we're just nuts looking for a padded cell."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 16 April 2006]

The plot of "Strange Illusion" can be summed up by main character Paul Cartwright (Jimmy Lydon) in conversation with his friend Dr. Vincent (Regis Toomey) - "This may sound kinda crazy Doc but, that dream is beginning to happen". The story finds college student Paul, who's overly protective of his mother Virginia (Sally Eilers), conflicted over her romance with Brett Curtis (Warren William). Curtis' manner is just a little too smooth, hiding the fact that his mission is to exact revenge on Paul and his family. It was Paul's deceased father, a former judge, who sent Curtis to jail years ago, but under his real name of Claude Barrington.

Curtis becomes suspicious that Paul is on to him, and together with psychiatrist friend Professor Muhlbach (Charles Arnt), they intend to take him out of the picture one way or another. Paul uncharacteristically agrees to be a 'guest' at Muhlbach's Restview Sanitarium, where his own detective skills are put to the test. With cool self assurance and with the help of Doc Vincent, the pair begin to unravel the mystery behind the death of Paul's father and the sinister alliance between Muhlbach and Curtis/Barrington.

Lydon's portrayal of young Cartwright is decidedly angst driven, though he manages to slip out of character every once in a while when conversing with friends. He caught me off guard with that phone call to would be girlfriend Lydia (Mary McLeod) - "Hello vixen, what's mixin'?"; and he really went into Henry Aldrich mode when he learned his sister might be in danger with Curtis.

It was after the film doing some research that I learned of an interesting fact about Lydon. In the movie, his sister Dorothy (Jayne Hazard) is talking with Curtis about moonlight and poetry, and they share a thought about Omar Khayyam. Dorothy remarks that most people her age wouldn't know who the Persian poet was, surmising that to them he could just as well be a Turkish wrestler. That remark seemed to come out of left field, but it turns out that Lydon's grandfather was professional wrestling champion Jim Londos!

When the opening credits of this film rolled declaring itself a PRC release, my guard immediately went up for poor production values and a disjointed story, however I was pleasantly surprised by the intelligent presentation of Paul's dilemma and it's resolution. It might have been more fitting if Paul's dream sequence to end the movie had him talking with his dead father. Other than that, I only found one other story element to be annoying. Why, one asks, would a grown woman allow her own kids to call her 'The Princess'?

A Poverty Row psychological thriller, with Warren William making a sleazy, creepy villain

[Terrell-4 · 7/10 · 15 March 2008]

Hamlet, Freud and Edgar Ulmer may seem like an unnatural group of pals, but among them they have come up with a tidy little psychological thriller. In fact, with a bigger budget and stronger actors, Ulmer might have had a classic on his hands. As it is, Strange Illusion can't escape its Poverty Row heritage. Even so, it's a well-paced movie that keeps a person's interest. Even if the best-acted roles are the bad guys, that's not necessarily a drawback in a B movie.

Paul Cartwright's father, an older man and a respected judge, died two year ago in a train accident...at least it appeared to be an accident. Paul's not so sure. Paul (James Lydon) is a young man from a good family. He has a younger sister and an attractive mother, Virginia Cartwright (Sally Eilers). The family is well off. Paul lately has been having dreams, disturbing dreams, of his father telling him to take care of his mother, to be wary of a shadowy someone who is coming into her life. Paul confides in an old friend of the family, Dr. Martin Vincent (Regis Toomey), who tries to calm Paul but who also respects Paul's intelligence. Paul is, in fact, smart and resourceful. Then one day Paul's mother introduces him to Brett Curtis (Warren William), a smooth, gracious man Paul feels he's met before. Curtis and his mother announce that they plan to wed.

Paul becomes suspicious of Curtis and Curtis' association with Professor Muhlbach (Charles Arnt), a psychologist who runs an exclusive and very private sanitarium. Before long, Paul becomes a "guest" in the place so that he can investigate Muhlbach and Curtis. But things begin to go wrong. It becomes a race to see if Paul can break away, if Dr. Vincent can convince the police that there may be a link between the death of Paul's father and the team of Curtis and Muhlbach, and if Paul and some of his friends can get to the lake cottage where Curtis has gone with Paul's sister.

James Lydon had a great success as a child actor, especially playing in the Henry Aldrich films. He was typecast as a gawky, friendly, well-intentioned kid. Strange Illusion was an attempt by him to break out of those roles as he grew older. He's not a gifted enough actor to carry the weight of the movie, but he certainly gives the role all he's got. He's no embarrassment. The acting interest, however, comes from Charles Arnt and, especially, Warren William. Arnt gives the professor a great gloss of smiling insincerity. He's unethical down to his polished fingernails.

Warren William really shines. William was a tall, broad-shoulder man with a profile that out- Barrymored Barrymore's. He had a creamy baritone voice and a smooth manner. Although he was in private life a shy man long-married to one woman, in movies he became typed as a charming rotter. He was big stuff in the early Thirties, but by the late Thirties had slowly moved down to B movies. In Strange Illusion, at 51, his profile was still as sharp as a crease, but his face was beginning to look its age. His eyes were a little puffy and pouched, the jaw line not quite so firm. With the Curtis character, William's face looks like dissipation. As soon as we see Brett Curtis walk into Virginia Cartwright's parlor to be introduced to Paul, we know this man is as insincere as a head waiter. Later, while we watch him try to sweet-talk Virginia into to an early marriage, all the while subtly looking over the daughter, we know the ghost in Paul's dream was right on. William does a fine job showing us a creepy, dangerous charmer.

Ulmer starts the movie with the dream sequence. It's B movie special effects but it serves the purpose of getting us into Paul's mind and preparing us to believe in Paul. Be forewarned. There's a brief dream sequence at the end which verges on the icky.

Freudian Frolics As Ulmer Does Hamlet Noir

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 14 April 2013]

Strange Illusion is directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and written by Fritz Rotter and Adele Comandini. It stars Jimmy Lydon, Warren William, Sally Eilers, Regis Toomey, George Reed and Jayne Hazard. Music is by Leo Erdody and cinematography by Phillip Tannura.

Adolescent Paul Cartwright (Lydon) is startled by a dream he has about his father's death. In the dream he comes to believe the death was not an accident, but murder, and there seems to be a shadowy figure moving in on his mother and sister. When the mysterious Brett Curtis (William) arrives in his mother's life, Paul begins to suspect his dream may be coming true...

It's a tricky one to recommend, for it's one of Ulmer's most divisive noir movies amongst his fans. It's hard to argue with some of the complaints put forward because undoubtedly the acting is poor, the villains weak (and revealed way too early), the score obtrusive and it's a good 15 minutes too long. Yet Ulmer could quite often make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and here he manages to rise above the flaws to craft a most intriguing picture. A film in fact of many psychological pangs.

The framing device for the story is essentially that of a evil step- father, and since we know early on that Brett Curtis is indeed evil, it becomes a simple case of if young Paul can find the proof before harm comes to his mother and sister. He willingly checks into a mental health sanatorium as part of his investigation, while the clock ticks down elsewhere as the sinister Curtis homes in on his prey. There's a dastardly accomplice with Curtis and a good old family doctor aiding Paul from the sidelines. That's pretty much it for plotting.

However, analysis shows plenty to keep the film from sinking without trace. There's obviously the Freudian factor concerning dreams, the interpretation of such, but there's also oedipal overtones pulsing throughout. The relationship between Paul and his mother never feels natural, evident in the way he holds her or talks to her. Ulmer cannily keeps it bubbling under the surface, but it is there. Then there is Brett Curtis, a monstrous creation, a serial killer and sexual predator of young ladies, the latter of which is deftly handled by Ulmer as we pick up on his sordid ways only via aftermath clues and conversations.

It's also a moody picture visually, as you would expect from Ulmer. The budget of course is small, thus the production design is accordingly tight, but the director gets much atmosphere from such sparsity. It's filmed in shadowy black and white and this perfectly marries up with the psychological discord of Paul Cartwright, while dastardly conversations unfold in darkened rooms. One particular shot of Paul in the sanatorium standing in front of a huge barred window, the shadows stretched around him, is very striking and it makes you wish there was more shots like that, but Ulmer doesn't short change us for moody atmospherics.

From the hazy dream beginning to the denouement that plays out in a rickety old cabin, there is much to enjoy and pay attention to. Oh it's a mixed bag for sure, but the good far outweighs the bad in my humble opinion. 7/10

An interesting one from Edgar G. Ulmer.

[youroldpaljim · 18 August 2001]

Its films like this that gave Edgar G. Ulmer his reputation as a director who could overcome the limitations of rapid lowbudget film making, even though STRANGE ILLUSION is actually an "A" picture by PRC standards. When Ulmer had interesting material to work with, the results were often good, as they are here. The story is fairly involving. Jimmy Lydon plays a college student who dreams of his late father being killed in a train/car wreck. In the dream he sees his widowed mother being seduced by a sinister but charming figure. Then the dream begins to come true, and Lydon has to convince others is was not all just a dream. The photography is low key and moody. The film is well paced and held my interest throughout. The dream sequences are well directed. My only complaint is that Jimmy Lydon's mother looks a bit to young to have a college age son.

Refreshingly realistic perversion

[huboon · 7/10 · 13 October 2004]

Although I would hesitate to call it "film noir," Strange Illusion is a tightly woven, intriguing mystery. For a Poverty Row production, the writers and Ulmer paced the film well and kept it interesting. The acting, although amateurish at times, doesn't distract from a believable story. My only real complaint about the film is the music-- too much and too loud.

Brett's penchant for teenage girls is a refreshingly realistic perversion for a film of the '40s. It also stands in stark contrast to the "gee whiz" scenes which seem lifted straight out of "Leave It to Beaver."

I rate it 7/10.

Dream,Dream,Dream

[sol1218 · 7/10 · 17 July 2004]

****SPOILERS**** Having recurring dreams of his fathers Judge Cartwright tragic and deadly train accident every night Paul Cartwright,James Lydon, is convinced that his fathers death was no accident but a murder and the person who murdered his father is in his dream and in the shadows not being able to be recognized.

Being very protective of his mother Virginia,Sally Eilers,Paul gets very agitated and concerned when she gets engaged to marry a Mr. Brett Curtis, Warren Williams. Curtis comes across as a suave and sophisticated as well as well traveled gentleman who swept Virginia right off her feet. But Paul who feels that he's just not what he is and his background it's just too perfect to be real.

In his awakening state of mind Paul sees the events in his dream accruing over and over in real life which convinces him that there's something very strange and sinister about the very debonair and smooth talking Brett Curtis. Paul also has a grudging feeling that Brett is the man in the shadows in his dream who was responsible for his fathers death and also wants to keep his mother from marrying him.

Early cinematic psychological study about the mind and it's deepest secrets and how they come to the surface when we least expect them to Which makes the movie "Strange illusions" a unique movie for it's time, 1945, and as far as I know has never been duplicated since.

Things in the film like Brett's strange behavior in regards to Paul whom he senses is somehow on to him and his intentions has him lose his cool from time to time and almost expose himself as the psychotic that he really is.

Paul has tapped into something real and deadly through his subconscious, his dreams, but unknowing to Paul Brett is working with Professor Muhlbach,Charles Arnt, who runs the Restview Sanitarium where Paul will soon be staying at. Looking into his late fathers files, that he kept locked in his study, Paul finds out about a mysterious Mr. Claude Barrington who Paul's father was very interested in.

Judge Cartwright felt that Barrington committed a string of crimes from murder and rape to embezzlement dating back to 1932 when he was married to the former miss. Cecilia Gordon who was found drowned some six months after their marriage.

Barrington seemed to have vanished and then popped up and commit crimes almost at will all across the American Southwest. Barrington has a talent to disappear and resurface after each crime with a new and bogus identity and successfully avoided being fingerprinted or photographed. It was Judge Cartwright's closing in on him and being about to expose him and have him arrested, and made to pay for his crimes, that led to his unfortunate "accident".

Paul also feels that Barrington faked his own death and is now back to eliminate those who may be able to expose him as still being alive by being in the position of finding Judge Cartwright secret files; the Judge's family. Paul is sure that the late Claude Barrington is the very alive Brett Curtis.

Having to get rid of Paul but not until Brett is legally married to Virginia Brett and Professor Muhlbach plan to have Paul committed in his sanitarium and then have an "Accident" that will put his searching for the truth, about his dead father, to an end once in for all.

With Brett married to Virginia he can offer her sympathy comfort and understanding for the loss of her son and his step-son until the time is right for her to have an "Accident" too. With that Brett can get his hands on the Cartwright estate, and all the evidence that the judge gathered on him, and have it destroyed with no one who can be in the position to know about it, the Judge's files, or get their hands on them. Mind twisting movie with a surprise ending that will more then just surprise.

STRANGE ILLUSION (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1945) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 28 September 2007]

This one's basically a noir retelling of Shakespeare's "Hamlet", which actually anticipates Akira Kurosawa's obviously superior THE BAD SLEEP WELL (1960) by several years! I had expected the film to be a ramshackle effort in the vein of the same director's better-known noir, DETOUR (1945), but it looks fairly stylish overall – beginning with an astonishing dream sequence.

The central plot, though clearly altered to fit the conventions of modern-day small-town America, retains its essential fascination (with the sequences in the clinic achieving genuine suspense and the whole given a commendably fast pace) – thanks also to modest yet effective casting: Jimmy Lydon is the youngster suspicious of mother Sally Eilers' new boyfriend, the reptilian Warren William; also on hand is Regis Toomey as Lydon's psychology professor, who becomes his co-conspirator in unmasking William (the man responsible for the death of Lydon's father). Even if Eilers doesn't look to be that much older than her on-screen son, William decidedly comes across as a lecher – since he also has his eyes on Lydon's girlfriend and sister throughout the course of the film! Incidentally, the youthful element present here is rather surprising but this actually lends proceedings a welcome quirky charm.

Since the film has fallen into the Public Domain, there are several DVD editions of variable quality out there – the best value for money seem to be those emanating from the Roan Group and All Day Entertainment. As a matter of fact, I had long considered purchasing the latter for the accompanying documentary about Ulmer's tenure at Poverty Row studio PRC; thankfully, I was able to get to the film regardless via a recent late-night screening on Italian TV which I taped.

In conclusion, I liked STRANGE ILLUSION well enough for it to join THE BLACK CAT (1934), BLUEBEARD (1944), DETOUR (1945) and THE NAKED DAWN (1955) among Ulmer's more interesting and satisfying work.

This may be Jimmy Lydon's best film

[kidboots · 7/10 · 5 November 2009]

Certainly, quite early on in his career, Jimmy Lydon was "trapped" in the Henry Aldrich series and while "Life With Father" may have been his most prestigious film, "Strange Illusion" gave him his best role.

Paul Csrtwright (Jimmy Lydon) is troubled by recurring nightmares in which his dead father warns him about a stranger's evil intentions about his family. He is staying with his teacher Dr. Vincent (Regis Toomey) but feels he must go home at once to protect his mother and his sister. When he arrives home he finds his mother, Virginia (Sally Eilers) has been seeing a lot of Brett Curtis (Warren William) - a man who Paul feels uneasy about at first sight. His sister Dorothy has a great crush on him but Brett is a sinister villain with a weakness for young girls.

Paul's dream starts to come true, Dorothy receives a bracelet from Curtis, he hears a very loud concerto and then faints. He decides to investigate Curtis, with the help of the family servant, Ben (George Reed), who has never liked Curtis. Before he died, Paul's father started to investigate a shocking unsolved crime involving the drowning of a wealthy young widow. Paul has a right to be worried, Brett has a grudge against Cartwright, whose meddling stopped his plans years before - he now wants revenge. Brett's first plan is to convince Virginia to marry him and then to have Paul committed to a sanatorium. Meanwhile Paul's friend Lydia confesses that she has had a confrontation with Brett at her family pool and has always felt uncomfortable around him. Paul is keen to go to the hospital - he thinks he will find out something there as Brett is very close with the head doctor.

This was a really good movie with the dream sequences a bit of a twist on the tired old "why won't anyone believe me" style plot. Warren William made these type of roles his own - the icy exterior hiding deep feelings (in this case murderous). Sally Eilers looked lovely as the mother, caught in the middle of a suave conman and her son's concern. Both of these fine actors left the screen in the next couple of years. Again, it is a movie I would recommend.

Ulmer's Hamlet-based thriller engaging in a Hardy-Boys way

[bmacv · 5/10 · 27 December 2001]

Edgar G. Ulmer, the auteur of Detour, directed this mystery inspired by Hamlet. Gawky teenager James Lyden is troubled by dreams of the death of his father, a prominent criminologist. The dreams make him uneasy about his mother's courtship by Warren Williams, a suave gigolo. Voluntarily checking himself into a sanitarium run by the psychiatrist who's a confederate of Williams', Lydon hopes to find evidence for his suspicions. Bad move, for in the forties psychiatrists were charlatans (if not worse), and asylums the equivalent of Old Dark Houses in the thirties.... The talkiness and, frankly, cheesiness that adventitiously became virtues in Detour do not augur well in the first half-hour or so of Strange Illusion. But then the story gains traction, in a simplistic, Hardy-Boys sort of way. Despite its literary pretensions, it's an oddly cozy little noir from an era when the words "adolescent" and "angst" were seldom used in tandem.

The boy doesn't cry wolf...he crys foul!

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 5 April 2014]

Forget you're watching Henry Aldrich being serious for a change. Jimmy Lydon gives a surprisingly convincing performance as a young man who discovers that his widowed mother (Sally Eilers) is involved with someone he instantly doesn't trust. That possible no-good man is played by the playboy of the '30's (Warren William) who is as suave and smooth as ever, and here, it is obvious that even if he isn't the nefarious fortune hunter Lydon believes him to be, he is up to something. At first, practically everybody around him believes this to be some adolescent attempt to keep his mother from forgetting her late, older husband, all except doctor friend Regis Toomey. The film opens with Lydon having a nightmare where the detailed clues come together as some type of pending doom. When details of this dream really begin to happen, Lydon pretends to have a breakdown so he can end up in the institution where he believes psychiatric professor Charles Arnt and William have cooked up a scheme against him and his mother.

Like a later classic film noir, "The Window" (1949), this is the story of youth not being believed because they tend to over-exaggerate, or in Bobby Driscoll's case of the later film, actually did "cry wolf". Lydon is an intelligent youth with typical teenaged problems, and some of the mature figures around him believe he has a serious mother complex which needs to be cured in order to accept her re-marrying. To see him playing a role other than Henry Aldrich (Paramount's somewhat obscure version of the Andy Hardy series) is jarring at first as he proves himself to be a fine young dramatic actor. Eilers, a forgotten leading lady of the 1930's, is properly regal as his mom, and Toomey is less wooden than normal as the only father figure Lydon seems to be willing to accept. William is appropriately snake-like as he keeps tabs on his stepson to be, and while the audience is already in the know from the start that he is an opportunist, that doesn't prepare them for what the truth ends up becoming.

During this era, the poverty row studios were giving the A studios a run for their money when it came to the film noir/thriller game with some interesting gems like "When Strangers Marry" (Monogram) and PRC's "Detour" and "Decoy", among others. "Strange Illusion" takes away the world-weary detective and scheming femme fatale for this unique film noir and gives us a hero in youth itself, determined to prove that sometimes, youth must be taken seriously and that sinister minds are sometimes hidden behind smiling faces. This makes another gem directed by the wonderful Edgar G. Ulmer, who took us on that wonderfully dangerous "Detour" the very same year.

Just an over imaginative dream?

[michaelRokeefe · 4/10 · 17 August 2004]

It is told that STRANGE ILLUSION was made in little over two weeks with very, very limited funds and fading star power. But director Edgar G. Ulmer had full reins to do what he could with what he had. Still a decent B-movie with plenty of intrigue. The opening "allusive dream" of college lad Paul Cartwright(Jimmy Lydon)is to set up the story line. His well respected father dies mysteriously in a train/car accident which leads to haunting nightmares in which his father warns him of oncoming danger to his mother(Sally Eilers)caused by a mysterious stranger that wants to cause harm to the family. Inter the mystery man Brett Curtis(Warren William)introduced as the widow Cartwright's suitor. Lydon's character becomes a little obsessed with Curtis wooing his mother and making disturbing advances toward his younger sister. Seeking help sorting out circumstances and illusions, Paul turns to a friend of the family Dr. Vincent(Regis Toomey). Next comes maneuvering in and out of a sanitarium and the revelation of false identity and the reason for the unfinished plot to cause destruction of the Cartwright family. This is an enjoyable little psychological melodrama. Also in the cast are: Charles Ant and George Reed.

Bizarre Dream Thriller

[ZenVortex · 9/10 · 21 January 2009]

This minor film noir has competent direction, good cinematography, solid production values, and an imaginative story line that makes it rise above the typical crime drama of that era.

Jimmy Lyndon is excellent as a gawky college student haunted by a bizarre precognitive dream of his family and dead father, who was a judge murdered under mysterious circumstances.

Sally Eilers delivers a nuanced performance as his mother, who has fallen under the spell of a suave conniving gigolo, perfectly played by Warren William with his rich, deep, mellifluous voice and sophisticated mannerisms.

The plot twists and turns when Lyndon is sent to a mental hospital to be treated for neurosis and hallucinations under the care of a villainous psychiatrist (Charles Arnt). During his confinement, Lyndon uncovers evidence that William is a serial killer in cahoots with the psychiatrist and is preparing to strike again...

Although the entire cast delivers good performances, Lyndon and William are outstanding and well worth the price of admission.

Frightening Concept Unto Itself

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 30 July 2014]

For a PRC film Strange Illusion is a top drawer item. It's on a PRC shoe string budget to be sure, but Edgar Ullmer is a director who works good with low budgets and in this case some offbeat casting.

James Lydon who most people will know as the radio and film Henry Aldrich is far from the goofy juvenile persona of that role. He's a rather serious student who is deeply concerned about Warren William who has been paying court to his mother Sally Eilers. Lydon's father was killed six months earlier, among other things he was the former Lieutenant Governor of California. His father was also a criminologist who interested himself in the case of a psychopathic killer who is believed dead, but Lydon thinks William's the guy.

What's really creepy in this film is that William in fact has been a patient at a sanitarium under the care of psychiatrist Charles Arnt. No mystery here, we learn early on that Arnt has William working for him. Psychiatrists intimidate people because they are students of the mind and know what makes people tick. Having one with a killer at his beck and call is a frightening concept unto itself. And William has his own agenda.

The lucky break for Lydon is that he also has a psychiatrist at his beck and call, his uncle on his mother's side Regis Toomey.

Strange Illusion is a film that will scare you far more than some blood and gore things because it explores things we don't like to think about. And that other worldly ending is a truly unique experience. I can't say any more about it.

This is one you have to see for yourself.

When a Nightmare Becomes Reality

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 18 May 2020]

After his wealthy and influential father is killed in a suspicious accident, a teenager by the name of "Paul Cartwright" (James Lydon) begins to have nightmares about a mysterious man attempting to ingratiate himself with his widowed mother "Virginia Cartwright" (Sally Eilers) and sister "Dorothy Cartwright" (Jayne Hazard). When he tells his family physician and good friend "Dr. Vincent" (Regis Toomey) about it he is initially told not to worry too much about it. However, Paul becomes even more alarmed when a stranger by the name of "Brett Curtis" (Warren William) arrives at his home bearing an uncanny similarity to the man in his nightmares. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a decent grade-B crime-drama which featured solid acting and an imaginative plot. Admittedly, there were some scenes which were a bit unrealistic but this film was certainly worth the time spent to watch it and have rated it accordingly. Average.

Morbidly interesting thriller focused on precognitive dreams.

[BrentCarleton · 7 April 2004]

Much has been made of Mr. Ulmer's talent, and here, he makes good use of it. While someone on the order of a brooding Farley Granger, for example, would have been preferable as the lead, James Lydon, nonetheless, turns in a commendable job as Paul Cartwright, a college student haunted by prophetic dreams. It's genuinely refreshing for a change, to look back upon a time, when teen-agers were still presented in a wholesome and appealing light. And, Mr. Lydon, movieland's "Henry Aldrich" certainly had the credentials for those traits. But, here, Lydon is caught in a story of deathly threats, with implications far more threatening, than the "Golly--Gee!" consequences of smashing his date's corsage for the Senior Prom.

As for the plot, Paul, manages to prevent his wealthy widowed mother from marrying a male gold-digger, with a string of unsolved murders in his past. Naturally, Paul has to undergo any number of travails before the violent denouement, including amateur "detective" work that triggers both a feigned and a near real nervous collapse. He is even "voluntarily" committed to an asylum where further sinister developments befall him. The ending, cleverly finds him lost in an unconscious dream state again, but now enjoying a vision of a liberated and happy future.

Mr. Lydon was "slumming" at PRC, on loan from Paramount, and preparatory to his turns with glamorous Elizabeth Taylor in "Life With Father" and "Cynthia" both glossy, expensive, mainline productions.

Nonetheless, this PRC production possesses relatively handsome art direction and production values, given that, based on production files with the American Film Institute, it was actually shot in just 15 days, (as opposed to the erroneous oft-cited 6 day schedule.) By the way, take a good, hard, look at the exteriors of the Lydon family chateau in this. Look familiar? Yes, it's the same house used as Robert Walker's home in "Strangers on a Train" and June Lockhart's in "Bury Me Dead."

All told, if you enjoy crime stories focused on young people trapped in traumatic circumstances, it's definately worth a look.

All my patients are guests

[ulicknormanowen · 6/10 · 5 May 2020]

Many people compared it to "Hamlet " ,but actually the plot is not very shakespearian ; and anyway,from "the lion king" to "the stepfather" , lots of movies repeat the story of the widow-with-son-who-wants-to-marry-again. (and the newcomer is perhaps a murderer).

It belongs to the" psychoanalysis" craze of the forties , along with "spellbound" , "secret beyond the door" ,"the dark mirror" ......even more Freudian ,because the son hates his mom's fiancé ,in spite of his boy-next-door look .His youthful face displays a grown up kid ;the results are not perhaps as absorbing as the films I mention above ,but it's not devoid of qualities.

The beginning is downright unsettling : the hero introduces himself and then we see him lost in horrible nightmares ;premonitory dreams in fact ; and to help him getting through the night (the fog ) ,there's a good doctor he almost considers his substitute father .When one meets the fiancé,not only he's an intruder but it also reminds the hero of elements of his dreams.Enter a shrink who urges the young man to be treated in his sanatorium as a "guest "; a strange hospital ,in which all patients are guests, but they are locked at night, a two-way mirror and binoculars who help the psychiatrist to spy on his patients.

On the other hand, the trick of the truck is too implausible and the ending is too hurried for comfort.

It's an honest film noir though.

Don't Take People At Face Value

[Rainey-Dawn · 6/10 · 13 May 2016]

Well, I feel this one was geared more towards the teenagers and young 20-somethings for the time era with a message of "don't take people at face value" (a conversation between Paul and his friend Dr. Vincent explains it fairly well). Even though it's geared for a younger audience of the 1940s it's still a pretty good film to watch - nothing special but fun to watch.

I will agree with others that the film's music is a bit too loud - it sometimes muffles the voices of actor's which is not good. There are times they do that in films as we are not suppose to hear what they are saying but in this case we are suppose to hear them and can but not as clearly as we should due to the music in a couple of scenes... but that does not spoil the plot/story.

I like this film for some reason - maybe even more than I should for personal reasons.

6.5/10

The magical blending of dreams and reality...

[dfranzen70 · 7/10 · 12 February 2019]

Strangely good, and loosely based on Hamlet. Warren William is a cad who's trying to get Jimmy Lydon's mom (a recent widow) to marry him. Only he's not just anyone, he's an outpatient from the local sanitarium! What's more, Lydon has a recurring dream that seems to portend real-life events. Lydon himself is very good, and a long way off from playing Henry Aldrich.

A dream come true

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 6 September 2016]

From PRC productions, "Strange Illusion" from 1945 is directed by Edgar Ulmer, a man known for making a low-budget film look it isn't. He succeeds.

Paul Cartwright is a young man still mourning the death of his father, who was once Lieutenant Governor of California. He died while looking into the drowning of a wealthy woman.

While away at school, Paul dreams that his mother (Sally Eilers) is in love with someone who is a danger to her; the dream also shows an image of his father's automobile accident that doesn't look like one.

After consulting a family friend, a psychiatrist (Regis Toomey) he decides to go home, especially after a couple of things happen similar to his dream. When he arrives, he realizes his dream was spot on -- his mother is in love with Brett Curtis (Warren William), and Paul is immediately suspicious of him.

Paul begs his mother to wait to get married. He wants to look into Curtis a little more. Curtis, however, a maniac living as an outpatient in a sanitarium, is in a big rush to get his hands on Virginia's inheritance. In cahoots with him is the doctor who runs the sanitarium.

This film is in the public domain, so I may have seen a heavily edited version. It may have been released as an A movie - hard to tell.

The story is compelling and holds interest, and one really cares about the characters. This is partly because Warren William is as oily as a gusher, and Sally Eilers seems to vacillate as to whether or not she will adhere to her son's wishes.

The dream sequences were very good and atmospheric. However, there were a couple of problems with the film. I'm not sure why Sally Eilers (born in 1922) was cast as the mother of Jimmy Lydon (born 1923) and Jayne Hazard (born in 1923). They were all pretty much the same age! I know Paul's father married a younger woman, but from looking at his portrait, she could have been in her forties.

Though the acting was okay, Jimmy Lydon is slightly miscast as the son. This is basically the plot of Hamlet, so someone a little less sunny would have been good and would have given the film more gravitas.

As it is, it's very good. Lydon, still alive as of this writing, acted through the '80s and helped create the series 77 Sunset Strip and M*A*S*H. He also produced the television adaptation of the film Mister Roberts.

"Are ya missin' my kissin'?"

[hollywwood · 4/10 · 12 June 2007]

I've recently seen "Strange Illusion". It's a film that I had been wanting to see for a while. Considering it came from the low-budget studio PRC, I didn't know if it would be one of their better, mediocre or worst films. It's not one of their worst, but it just about reaches the PRC level of mediocrity. It seemed like it had an interesting plot. Jimmy Lydon plays a young man who is convinced that his mother's new beau is a killer. He's enlists the aid of a doctor friend to help him solve the mystery which surrounds the household. Jimmy Lydon has had a memorable career as "Henry Aldrich" in the popular 1940's series. He was seen in many other films and in the classic "Life With Father". However, he is served with a somewhat juvenile script here and, at one point in the film, is given a few lines of 1940's teenage vernacular to speak! It is very strange to see him suddenly break away from his normal way of speaking and start using this vernacular on his girlfriend. He says things like "Hello, vixen. What's mixin'?" and "Are ya missin' my kissin'?"! Strange, indeed! I wonder what PRC was thinking! Warren William is good, as usual, portraying the mother's sinister new beau. It's unfortunate that a little more thought about plot, suspense and dialog didn't go into this film. It could have been a much better film. For it's brief length, it seems overlong and much too uneventful. I would suggest seeing this film only if you must, but you can certainly find much better low-budget thrillers out there!

Even Elmer cant save this turkey

[arthur_tafero · 6/10 · 23 August 2018]

Boy detective has Hamlet-style dream and it all becomes true. How convenient. He also brilliantly checks himself into a loony bin to catch the murderers of his father. Not too bright. This plot is so lean that you will have to eat something while watching the film. Not recommended.

Henry Aldrich Strikes Back

[Hitchcoc · 4/10 · 15 May 2007]

This is a textbook on how not to get away with a crime. All the people in this movie are preposterous. The efforts made by the bad guys are so over the top and convoluted and use so much energy to get what they want, things fizzle and go out long before the end of the movie. Then there's that stupid dream. Why did he have that dream? Did he have real mental problems? Lydon is so calculating. Why can't he give people a straight answer. This is really Oedipul as well. He does have fixation on his mother (the call her the Princess). The crook has a big face and a pencil thin mustache. Anyone could have told the widow that this is a bad combination. Finally, there's that stupid malt shop talk and the way the kids interact with one another. The funniest scene in the movie is when Jimmy is talking to his friend, the Doc, and his buddy is trying to tell him something. They didn't say anything about him being deaf in his right ear. Don't get me going.

Young man haunted by death of father

[vikitoria · 10/10 · 4 January 2000]

This was a good acting role for James Lydon, as a mature young man protecting his mother. But, one wonders, is he too protective?

Paul Cartwright becomes weary when his mother starts dating again, one year after his fathers tragic death. The man is smooth and challenges Paul about his interest in criminology. Paul starts investigating, and comes up with interesting facts about Mr. Curtis. The story is a good one, as we unravel this mystery about the death of Paul's father. Don't miss this.

"Great chap, Plato. Modern today as he was in his own time."

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 17 August 2017]

Enjoyable noir from one of the great 'B' directors, Edgar G. Ulmer. A young man (Jimmy Lydon), disturbed by premonitions, tries to prevent his mother from marrying a man (Warren William) he finds suspicious. An interesting little picture with some nice atmosphere and bits of weirdness that Ulmer was so good at. The cast is good. William is always great. Lydon's performance is corny and odd but that's part of the appeal of the picture. Regis Toomey is solid in a role suited to his sometimes wooden screen presence. I really liked this for what it is. It's not a Detour or My Name is Julia Ross kind of B classic but it is much much better than the average movie of its type from that time.

A bit overdone at times and poorly plotted.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 10 August 2011]

"Strange Illusion" begins with a wacky young man having a very Freudian sort of repetitive dream about an evil man trying to steal his widowed mother. This seemingly Oedipal theme, however, turns out to instead be a sort of prescient warning, as his mother IS in trouble and it's up to this boy to save the day. How he KNEW what would happen was baffling--did his dead father send him these dreams, was he psychic or did he simply read the script!

This film has many elements that are quite interesting and could have made a great film. However, I found the film to be frustrating because at the same time there are elements that severely detract from the story and made it hard viewing. The biggest problem was the complete lack of subtlety as well as the film telegraphing what would occur. At no point was the audience in any doubt that the neurotic young man was correct--and having there be doubt would have made the film far more suspenseful and interesting. Second, if you can accept the idea of these incredibly detailed dreams 100% accurately predicting a coming danger (even though the guy did not even know that his mother was dating anyone--let alone an evil man), then you'll much more enjoy the film. I just felt it was all a lot of mumbo-jumbo.

For me, the film COULD have been great. As I said above, make the threat much less obvious and subtle--SUBTLE! And, get rid of the warning dreams completely--the film certainly didn't need this angle and the mother could have still been at risk from a creepy fiancé. Or, if all of what the kid later discovered was all a product of his disturbed and delusional mind--that could have been great. I wish I could have liked this film more. I think just by looking at it that the film was rushed into production and they just didn't give the plot problems much thought.

Oh, and by the way,...the ending totally sucked. Totally.