Karloff Soon After Frankenstein

BEHIND THE MASK-1932-A Secret Service man (Jack Holt two years before BLACK MOON) poses as an escaped convict to infiltrate a drug ring run by the mysterious Mr. X. Edward Van Sloan is an evil sadistic doctor behind the ring who uses medical operations as an excuse to kill and hides the dope in coffins in a graveyard. He gets a lot of inside info because he's also on the crime committee trying to bring down the ring. Van Sloan's FRANKENSTEIN co-star Boris Karloff appears as one of his henchman (he's good in the role but his character seems to disappear. Maybe he had a make-up call for THE MASK OF FU-MANCHU which he made the same year...). Constance Cummings (who was in THE GUILTY GENERATION with Karloff the year before) is Holt's nominal love interest.

Jack Holt (said to have been the Chester Gould 's model for Dick Tracy) was a popular silent screen star who's career waned in the sound era although he continued to work until his death in 1951.

Director John Francis Dillon started his film career in 1914 and made a slew of silent movies. He later made one of Clara Bow's few talkies CALL HER SAVAGE but died of a heart attack in 1934.

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Early Voodoo

BLACK MOON-1934-A woman (Dorothy Burgess) raised on a tropical island where she became involved with voodoo rituals decides to go back for a visit despite being happily married. Her husband (Jack Holt) can't go with her because of business (bad move) so he sends his secretary (Fay Wray, a year after KING KONG), who's secretly in love with her boss, to accompany her and their young daughter. Arriving on the island she's treated almost like a goddess by the natives and refuses to leave. When hubby arrives to take them all back things get worse. It appears the daughter is to become a human sacrifice!

Clarence Muse is also featured as a boat operator and although it's his usual racial stereotypical role his character does do a little more than just stand around taking orders.
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his early pre-code voodoo film (Burgess wears a very revealing night gown in one scene) was directed by the underrated Roy William Neill who made THE BLACK ROOM with Karloff the next year.

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