The Return of Doctor X (1939) [Warner Archive Blu-ray review]

The Return of Doctor X is notable mainly as one of Humphrey Bogart’s few forays into the horror/science fiction genre before he became a major star. Bogart, who was under contract at Warner Bros. at the time, reportedly disliked his role and the film, feeling it was beneath him. He appears with a pale complexion and white stripe in his hair to make him look undead.

Have you seen Doctor X yet?

Doctor X has already had a prior Warner Archive Blu-ray release. However, The Return of Doctor X has virtually no narrative connection to Doctor X (1932) or The Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933). The earlier films starred Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray, leaning heavily on the pre-Code, color-tinted side of Warner Bros. horror. They carried a fair bit of name recognition among fans of the era. But for all practical purposes, the 1939 film stands alone, beyond borrowing the “Doctor X” brand.

Some marketing materials at the time tried to position it as a sequel, but the storyline is different, the lead characters have changed, and there’s no continuity. Essentially, Warner Bros. reused the “Dr. X” moniker hoping to cash in on brand recognition—typical studio logic of that period.

In The Return of Doctor X, Bogart’s Dr. Xavier was executed for criminal activity (including bizarre medical experiments and murder), then revived by Dr. Flegg (John Litel) using an experimental synthetic blood serum. Trouble is, this formula is unstable. Dr. X must drain fresh blood from living victims to keep himself from reverting to a corpse.

So we have a pseudo-vampire scenario combined with mad science. The “X” name is there for pulp flair, but don’t expect any direct plot overlap with the 1932 original. You won’t see Lionel Atwill’s flamboyance, nor that film’s two-color Technicolor weirdness. Instead, you get black-and-white gloom, snappy wisecracks from the leads, and an unabashed B-movie approach.

More about The Return of Doctor X

While it’s marketed as “horror,” the film could also be framed as a comedic-thriller with horror trappings. The script invests a fair chunk of time in comedic banter and detective beats. Dr. X’s need for blood is horrific in concept, but the actual on-screen results are more implied than shown. That’s typical of the era’s censorship codes. The violence is mild, the focus on comedic or adventurous chatter. Think of it as pre-noir crime with a “mad science” twist. If you’re expecting atmospheric chills on par with Universal’s best, you might be underwhelmed. If you want a zippy pulp narrative with a weird villain, it hits the mark.

Bogart did horror? Get out of here!

Despite Bogart’s star power, it’s not one of the most memorable mad scientist films of its era. The plot is rather thin and far-fetched, relying on several unlikely coincidences. The acting apart from Bogart is mostly workmanlike, with Morris as a generic wise-cracking reporter and Lane given little to do as the nominal heroine.

The Return of Doctor X is also noteworthy as an example of the kind of lurid content that slipped through just before the Motion Picture Production Code (the Hays Code) started being more strictly enforced in the 1940s. There are surprisingly frank discussions of “synthetic blood” and the undead Dr. X’s need for regular transfusions from murdered victims that would likely have been toned down just a few years later.

However, these Pre-Code elements and Bogart’s atypical mad scientist role are more historical curiosities than major selling points. At just under an hour, The Return of Doctor X is a minor B-movie programmer elevated slightly by its offbeat casting and stylish cinematography, but not a lost classic. For Bogart completists and fans of 1930s horror obscurities it holds some interest, but it’s understandable why it’s one of his lesser-known films.

Final thoughts on The Return of Doctor X

The Return of Doctor X is not a masterpiece. It doesn’t pretend to be. But it’s a polished, 62-minute dose of vintage pulp that merges comedic detective tropes with a weird reanimated Bogart. The tension between low-stakes comedic hijinks and genuine horror spectacle might feel uneven. But the synergy is part of the 1930s B-movie charm. Each scene crackles with an “anything goes” energy: one minute we’re wisecracking about newspapers, the next a ghoulish Bogart is syringing blood from an unsuspecting victim.

Its greatest claim to fame is that it gave us an early, idiosyncratic showcase of Bogart’s screen presence. In later years, he’d refine that presence into cynically smooth antiheroes. But here, you see him trying out a menacing posture, an unearthly aura, and a dryness that occasionally bleeds into comedic territory. The character’s half vampire, half Frankenstein’s monster, half gangster. Add in a dash of comedic detection courtesy of Wayne Morris and Dennis Morgan, and you have a film that never fails to amuse if you’re in the mood for something novel.

Tell me about the Warner Archive Blu-ray

The Return of Doctor X is newly available on Blu-ray from Warner Archive. You get an archival commentary from the film historian Dr. Steve Haberman. You also get a collection of classic cartoons and a trailer. The A/V Quality is also on par with other 1930s horror outings that Warner Archive has brought to Blu-ray.

It’s quite a packed release when compared to its old school DVD release. Hell, I think the majority of the special features are ports. But, I’d have to dig into the trenches and wheel out those old double features to spot check them.

The Return of Doctor X disc doesn’t explode with those modern extras, but it meets the standard for an older B-film. Considering that many borderline-forgotten titles get slapped onto cheap DVDs with poor transfers, the fact we get a 4K scan from original nitrate neg is cause for celebration. That’s a testament to Warner Archive’s dedication. If you’re the type who hunts for lesser-known corners of classic cinema, this release is catnip.

The Return of Doctor X is now available on Blu-ray from Warner Archive at MovieZyng and other outlets

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