Don’t let the title keep you away thinking it’s a cheap horror movie. It’s a good suspense film well worth checking out.
Alex Gregor (Lon Chaney,Jr.) is radio mentalist Gregor The Great. One night he and his assistant Maura (Evelyn Ankers) are doing their act for a radio studio audience.. A drunk heckles him saying he’s a phony. Alex brings him on stage and gives him the stare. He whispers to Maura that he could kill him. He continues to give him the look. The drunk dies. Alex thinks he killed him.
Inspector Brant (Douglas Dumbrille) is called. He tells Alex the coroner says the man was an alcoholic and died of a bad heart, Alex still thinks he’s responsible. His business manager George Keene (Milburn Stone) thinks he should get away.
Valerie Monet owns a wax museum and has a thing for Alex. George sets it up that Alex stay with her for a while. George shows Valerie a note from Alex that he’s leaving his estate to Maura even though he broke off their engagement.
Valerie’s assistant is Rudi Polden. He was a plastic surgeon. A wealthy patient took her bandages off too early destroying his work. Rudi got the blame and that ended his career. Rudi makes the wax figures and Valerie does the costumes. Also staying at the museum is Valerie’s niece Nina (Elena Verdugo).
Rudi resents Alex. He’s not happy when Valerie gives Alex a tour of Rudi’s workshop. It has to stay cold so the figures don’t melt. The next room is the furnace area where a caldron of hot wax is kept. Rudi has designs on Nina who’s not interested. Alex warns him to stay away from her. Rudi tells Valerie Alex is fooling around with Nina.
Valerie is jealous and lays into Alex. He gives her that stare. She drops to the floor. Alex leaves for a walk and ends up back at George’s. Valerie’s scarf is in his pocket. At the museum Brant was called by Nina after she discovered that her aunt was missing.
He goes into the cold room and admires the Shakespearean characters. Rudi stands in front of Lady Macbeth so Brant can’t see her. It’s Valerie. Later on a package arrives. It’s slippers for Lady Macbeth. Nina opens it and takes them to the figure. She can’t help but notice it’s her aunt.
Rudi starts tossing a knife at her. She doesn’t know it’s him. Alex comes in and she blames him for Valerie’s death. Now the movie takes a turn that I won’t reveal.
TV fans know the grown up Elena Verdugo as Consuelo Lopez on “Marcus Welby,M.D. (1969-76).
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