Craig Rettig.com

“Why, yes, in a manner of speaking. I find a coffin much more comfortable than a bed.”

—Dr. Lorenz (Bela Lugosi)

The Corpse Vanishes is a classic flick starring horror legend Bela Lugosi as a demented scientist who kidnaps brides after they die at the altar, using them in his twisted experiments.

This movie is a hybrid of the typical “mad scientist” flick crossed with the legend of Countess Báthory. Rounding out Lugosi’s Dr. Lorenz are his crazy wife (’40s scream queen Elizabeth Russell), a midget, a mutant, the mother of the pair, and a personality-less henchman.

Dr. Lorenz has been getting away with his scheme for a while until overachieving reporter Patricia Hunter (Luana Walters) finds a clue at one of the abductions — one that leads directly to Dr. Lorenz. After an unsettling night spent at the Lorenz house, she becomes completely convinced of Lorenz’s guilt and sets up a plan to catch him in the act.

I consider this one of the better movies of the era, with an ample number of plot twists for a mere 68-minute film. Definitely worth checking out if you haven’t seen it before.