Scared to Death, Because of Bela Lugosi?

No one can scare someone to death better than Bela Lugosi.  In a wealthy and mysterious family everyone has a motive for murder.  There's always a beautiful dame or two to be in peril, and mad scientist type brutes that would seek to imperil them...then Bela Lugosi pops in for a visit, and before we know it, there's a body...corpse!  Our feature today is 1946's "Scared to Death," directed by Christy Cabanne.

As our film begins, the beautiful Laura Van Ee's (Molly Lamont) corpse is on a slab in the morgue.  No marks of violence and no apparent cause of death are apparent, mystifying the coroner. Now Laura, from the other side, flashes back on just what happened to her. A day or two ago, Laura was a grouchy wife to Ward (Roland Varno). Her father-in-law, Dr. Joseph Van Ee (George Zucco) hates her and demands she give his son a divorce. Laura won't divorce Ward and claims she is not done with him. Laura claims the good doctor and Ward are keeping her prisoner in the mansion. Then guess who arrives! Right, Bela Lugosi as the weird Professor Leonide...and his trusted midget, Indigo (Angelo Rossitto). Why? Dr. Ee is not happy to see him.  See, Leonide used to be an inmate in the mansion when it was an asylum. He escaped and fled to Europe, only to return now.

Enter Raymond (Nat Pendleton).  He's a private eye, fired from the police, and now in charge of security at the mansion. He's hot for the perky maid, Lilybeth (Gladys Blake). He's also not that bright. Outside a specter wearing a green mask haunts and looks in the windows. Someone sends Laura a sculpture of her own head, disconcerting her. Now Laura is afraid but she will not tell us why. Leonide, apparently, is a magician and adept at hypnosis.  Coincidentally, Lilybeth goes into a hypnotic trance. The green masked figure keeps lurking. Then two reporters arrive, Lee (Douglas Fowley) and the nubile Jane (Joyce Compton). Lee is smart and Jane is sultry and playful, which are great for this plot. Laura fears whatever is outside closing in on her as more fall into hypnotic trances.  Then...we do find out what happened to Laura and why.

Is Laura really dead?  If Lilybeth and Jane are entranced in a hypnotic spell, what will the hypnotist have them do?  Is Professor Leonide really the antagonist here, or is that too easy?  The dames are in much peril, the men are menacing, and the figure in the green mask is spooky.  For a lurid mystery during the Halloween season, see "Scared to Death."