Doctor X (film)

Doctor X
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Curtiz
Written by
Based onTerror
1928 play
by Howard W. Comstock
Allen C. Miller as produced on the New York stage as Doctor X (1931)
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byGeorge Amy
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • August 3, 1932 (1932-08-03) (New York City)
Running time
76 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$224,000[1]
Box office$594,000[1]

Doctor X is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery horror film produced jointly by First National and Warner Bros. Based on the 1931 play originally titled The Terror by Howard W. Comstock and Allen C. Miller,[2] it was directed by Michael Curtiz and stars Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray and Lee Tracy.

Doctor X was produced before the Motion Picture Production Code was enforced. Themes such as murder, rape, cannibalism and prostitution are interwoven into the story. The film was one of the last produced, along with Warner Bros.' subsequent Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), in the early two-color Technicolor process. Separate black-and-white prints were shipped to small towns and foreign markets, while color prints were reserved for major cities.[3]

In the film, there are a series of murders in New York City. Each murder takes place under the full moon, and each body has been cannibalized post-mortem. Dr. Xavier is asked to provide his medical insight into the crimes, though the police actually suspect him and other people in Xavier's medical academy. The Moon Killer is conducting his own experiments, in an attempt to collect samples from his victims.

  1. ^ a b Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 13 doi:10.1080/01439689508604551
  2. ^ Doctor X (original Broadway play, produced at the Hudson Theatre; February 1931-April 1931, 80 performances), IBDb.com; retrieved September 23, 2014.
  3. ^ Doctor X: Detail View, tcm.com; accessed March 19, 2024.