Review of Phantom Killer (1942) by Ashley H — 28 Sep 2014

PHANTOM KILLER is from 1942 and it's directed by the legendary William "One Shot" Beaudine. A remake of Monogram's THE SPHINX (1933) with Lionel Atwill, the film is about wealthy philanthropist John G.

Harrison (John Hamilton, best known as Perry White on the 50s "Superman" TV show) , who is believed to be deaf mute, being charged with a series of killings. A young prosecutor (Dick Purcell) believes Harrison is not only the murderer, but that he can hear and speak.

His girlfriend is a newspaper woman who also believes in Harrison's innocence, that is until a lieutenant on the case is found dead on the very morning he was to divulge some evidence. Probably the most fun of the three films, it has a piano that unlocks a secret door, a trick ending, and a great cameo by Mantan Moreland as a witness who has the courtroom in hysterics with his replies.