Although Humphrey Bogart is widely recognized for his dramatic roles in films like The Maltese Falcon And CasablancaThe actor also played a vampire in a lesser-known horror film. In 1939, Bogart played a character completely different from his usual work when he appeared in The return of Doctor X. Based on The Doctor Secret By William J. Makin, The Return of Doctor X follows a reporter who investigates a series of strange murders. Before his role as the title character in the horror film, Humphrey Bogart mostly starred in gangster movies.
Humphrey Bogart starred in various movies throughout his career and The return of Doctor X was the only horror film he ever made. The return of Doctor X It received mixed reviews, with some critics calling the film one of Bogart’s worst roles. Despite the negative reviews The return of Doctor X received, Bogart went on to have an illustrious career And cemented his place as a Hollywood legend.
Humphrey Bogart played a vampire in Return of Doctor X
The Return of Doctor X was Humphrey Bogart’s only horror film
Throughout his career, Humphrey Bogart has had several iconic roles, including playing a vampire in The return of Doctor X. In the film, Bogart plays Dr. Maurice Xavier, a criminal who is arrested and executed for his diabolical experiments that led to the death of a child. After his death, Dr. Flegg used his synthetic blood to resurrect Dr. X. But Dr. X was unable to synthesize the blood himself, so the two had to kill people for their blood.
Related
Dr. X was not a traditional vampire, nor is he referred to as such in The Return of Doctor X. However, his abilities and hunger for blood clearly establish him as a vampire, albeit one of a scientific – rather than supernatural – kind. – Start. While Bogart isn’t exactly famous for starring in horror filmsHe did a good job of playing a character that was not in a genre he was comfortable with. The movie wasn’t exactly a hit with critics and audiences, but it demonstrated a side of the actor not seen in his gangster films, or the film noir classics he would later headline.
What Humphrey Bogart thought about the return of Doctor X
Humphrey Bogart hated the return of Doctor X
When Humphrey Bogart was cast to play the role of Doctor X, He thought that he was not the right man to be the title character. The American icon felt that Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff should have been the ones to play the creepy doctor. Bogart explained how he felt about the movie, saying, ”This is one of the pictures sent to me [Warner Bros. studio chief Jack L. Warner] And ask for more money again,” (by TCM).
Bogart didn’t hide how he felt The return of Doctor XWhat he once called aNasty movie.” The actor apparently did not like the film so much that he never acted in a horror film again. Although some audiences agree with Bogart that he was wrong The return of Doctor XThe role remains—for better or worse—part of his enduring Hollywood legacy, as it was one of several precursors to Bogart’s rise to stardom.
Sources: TCM