Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Phantom Speaks Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 5, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Silver Screams Cinema Collection.

With Halloween sneaking up on us all in just a few more weeks, some may be looking for some scary movies to fill the interim and properly set the mood. Imprint's Silver Screams Cinema Collection may not in fact offer any undiscovered masterpieces, but it's kind of a goofily fun time capsule which can transport willing viewers back to a simpler era when low budget (some may aver no budget) studios like Monogram and Republic churned out B movies with some kind of horror underpinning which were frequently utilized to fill out double feature bills. The six films aggregated in this set span the production years of 1944 to 1957, and if the films themselves are often unabashedly silly, they can at least intermittently offer some saving graces, and there are a ton of interesting trivia tidbits about some of the films included, some of which I'll mention in the individual reviews linked to below, which, when combined with some really enjoyable commentaries included for each of the films (including some multiple commentaries), may make this set a "must buy" for certain fans.

Had Fritz Lang directed The Phantom Speaks, the film might have been seen as at least a corollary to The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, a film which (along with the two other Dr. Mabuse outings Lang made over the course of several decades) bears certain undeniable similarities to this one, as is gotten into in some of the supplements included on this disc. While there may not be overt hypnotism at work here (that element kinda sorta shows up in another film in this set, Valley of the Zombies), there is most definitely a kind of psychic transference of a murderer's soul into the body and mind of an innocent bystander, with havoc resulting.

As commentators Stephen Jones and Kim Newman kind of jokingly mention, this is yet another film where putative supporting player Stanley Ridges is for all intents and purposes the focal character (without the proper "star" billing), here playing a kindly elder named Dr. Paul Renwick, who has been assigned to interview death row inmate Harvey Bogardus (Tom Powers), who has been previously introduced in a rather chilling vignette discursively documenting a killing. Suffice it to say that Renwick firmly believes that "powerful" intelligences can survive "mere" death, and Renwick's thesis proves to be horrifyingly correct when Bogardus (or whatever is left of him) possesses Renwick after Bogardus is consigned to death in the electric chair.

Despite a certain lethargy in some of the non-horror dialogue scenes, this is a surprisingly tight and angsty offering, and one which rather commendably doesn't shy away from the implication that an apparently "normal" man can suddenly become a rampaging murderer. While it's not explicitly detailed, the film also ends with a rather cool unstated implication that Bogardus' rampage may have only begun.

The Phantom Speaks Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Phantom Speaks is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint and Via Vision Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. While there's no technical data included on any of the keepcases included in this set, Imprint's website states the Silver Screams Cinema Collection contains "six spine chilling early horror films from deep within the Paramount vaults presented in high definition from the original negatives." The Phantom Speaks generally looks great in this transfer, though I personally thought it looked just a tad bright some of the time, as can perhaps be gleaned from some of the screenshots accompanying this review. Detail levels are on the whole convincing throughout, with textures on fabrics nicely rendered, and fine detail on elements like facial features also secure. There are occasional variances in clarity, including some midrange shots that can look slightly fuzzy, but this is a nicely organic looking transfer that has surprisingly little age related wear and tear.

The Phantom Speaks Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Phantom Speaks features a good sounding LPCM 2.0 Mono track. Like the older films in this set, this one has an unavoidably dated overall ambience, with a somewhat boxy sound, but dialogue and the organ drenched score (which kind of makes this the film equivalent of old time radio serials) sound fine. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Phantom Speaks Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas


• Audio commentary with horror / fantasy authors Stephen Jones and Kim Newman


• The Lady and the Monster (HD; 1:26:03) is another Republic feature starring Richard Arlen which deals with a kind of telepathic element. Imprint's website states this is in standard definition, but a BD Info scan lists it in 1080p.

The Phantom Speaks Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If some of the sidebars to this story are a little lame (including the ostensible romance between co-stars Richard Arlen and Lynne Roberts), the main focus dealing with hapless Dr. Renwick is surprisingly taut and disturbing. Technical merits are generally solid and both commentaries are extremely enjoyable. Recommended.