Horror 2022 Countdown: The Face of Marble (1946)

The Face of Marble (1946), dir. William Beaudine, Hollywood Picture Corporation

At this point, Carradine had pretty much become the King of the Bs and working with William "One-Shot" Beaudine would pretty much cement that. 

Dr. Randolph (Carradine) is a kindly old sort. No, really! All he wants to do is improve mankind, and what better way to do that is by destroying death?

So he sets up shop in a remote lab, with only his devoted wife Elaine (Claudia Drake) and his youthful and virile assistant Dr. Cochran (Robert Shayne). 

Oh, and there's also his equally devoted maid, Maria (Rosa Rey). She dotes over the doctor, that is when she isn't praying to her old gods and mumbling incantations over a fire. When the doctors are busy trying to bring the dead back to life, Maria spends her nights trying to hook Elaine up with Dr. Cochran via wax dolls, never mind that Cochran's already pretty serious with his girlfriend Linda (Maris Wrixon).

The doctors are working, and in case with a recently drowned sailor, they succeeded. To a point anyway, as Cochran points out the man has a face of marble, plus he's a zombie too. 

Maria decides to put her matchmaking skills to use, and if wax dolls won't work, there's always a knife...

Starting to see why this film is largely forgotten. The plot is all over the place. Is it a 'man meddles in things in things', a voodoo thriller, or a screwball comedy? It tries for all and pleases none. The servants are racist caricatures at best, even for the time period. I didn't mention the butler Shadrach (Willie Best) and there is a reason for that. 

Carradine does his best, as usual. He actually plays Randolph as a devoted man with no malice.