Unlike a lot of reviewers here, I was quite impressed by this film. Sure it's not scary - I didn't expect it to be - but it effectively builds an unsettling atmosphere without resorting to the usual mood enhancers such as haunted houses, gloomy mansions, isolated islands, etc. Prosaic things such as a spark generated from a railway wheel, the taking of a key, have an edge to them. There are also some very nice touches along the way, eg, the dog bringing the slippers to Carole Lombard's brother.

It is also interesting to see Carole Lombard this early in her career - from my point of view she acquits herself quite well in the part. And H. B Warner is also well suited to his role of Dr Houston. Randolph Scott however is wooden, and the role of Bavian could have done with a more charismatic player than Alan Dinehart. The real scene stealer in this movie however is Beryl Mercer - much better in this than anything else I have seen her in.

I also find this film interesting plot-wise, as I have on occasion come across texts which refer to "The Uninvited" as the first significant Hollywood film to deal with spirit possession when clearly this is not the case. I suppose it depends on what you mean by significant.

Anyway, it is certainly interesting to see what the makers of "White Zombie" came up with when they had the backing of a major studio.

After the success of White Zombie (1932), the Halperin Brothers moved to Paramount where they produced this stylish, big-budget horror piece, its thrills even more chilling because they now seem so credible when presented against such lavishly realistic sets, and augmented by Martinelli's rivetingly moody cinematography.

The cast too is absolutely out of the box. Carole Lombard gives one of her finest performances as the troubled and ultimately possessed heroine, making the transition from innocent yet ultra-sophisticated mourner to vengeful, homicidal madwoman with disturbing conviction. As the villain of the piece, suave, hateful, murderous Allan Dinehart is truly a stand-out. The hideous scene in which he coldbloodedly murders his lowlife landlady (brilliantly played for both repugnance and sympathy by Beryl Mercer) is seared into my memory.

Randolph Scott's disbelieving hero is also well played. So is Warner's high society doctor, and especially William Farnum's amiably greedy Hammond.

Last but second only to Miss Lombard's is the powerful performance delivered by Vivienne Osborne in a tenth of the star's footage. Her presence literally haunts the whole film.

Paramount have not spared any expense. The sets, whether grimy, hell's kitchen tenements or palatial high society palaces are so naturalistic, the viewer never questions or doubts for a moment his role as a committed voyeur in this disturbingly real-life scenario. True, the special effects are few, but this admirable restraint only serves to make them so much more frighteningly believable.

Director Halperin never puts a foot wrong. He seems to know instinctively when to slow down the pace to build up a brooding atmosphere and when to heighten the drama with quick cutting to deliver shock after shock.

"Supernatural" broke new ground, being one of the first films to deal with possession by otherworldly influences. Before the Golden age of Horror, film chillers were usually adaptations of stories by Poe or Stevenson and ghost stories usually had "down to earth" explanations, explained at the movie's end. After the popularity of "Dracula" there came a greater acceptance among the public of things of a super- natural bent. The reasons may also have been that during the early talkies, when sound recording was often limited to one or two sets - movies about faith healers, mentalists and seances became extremely popular. Between "White Zombie" (1932) and it's supposed sequel "Revolt of the Zombies" (1936) the Halperin Brothers made only 2 films - one was the forgettable "I Conquer the Sea", the other was the unusual and innovative "Supernatural" starring the luminous Carole Lombard.

With several scriptural quotations, as well as a montage of newspaper headlines and courtroom shots, the scene is set and we are introduced to Ruth Rogan (the always excellent Vivienne Osborne) who is to die in the electric chair for murdering three lovers. Not only is Ruth not sorry, she is eager to kill again - if only she can get a reprieve - No Chance!!

Meanwhile, Roma Courtney (Carole Lombard), who is grieving over the death of her brother, John, receives a note from spiritualist Paul Bavian (the always excellent Alan Dinehart), who tell her he has been visited by a "distressed John" and wants to arrange a seance. There is always a naysayer in these movies and in this one it happens to be Randolph Scott, who plays Roma's shoulder to cry on (and hoping to be more) Grant. At the seance "John" appears and accuses Hammond (William Farnum) an old family friend of killing him to eventually take control of his fortune. Afterwards Roma and Grant visit Dr. Houston (H.B. Warner) and find him in the middle of a ghastly experiment. Before Ruth Rogan's execution she had given permission for Houston to experiment with her remains - to see what makes her tick!!! When Roma bursts in, Ruth (looking no worse for her electrifying death) is sitting there and after a flutter of curtains, the harassed doctor demands that Grant "get Roma out of the room" - too late she is already possessed!!!

Bavian has a few secrets, not the least that he is a phoney spiritualist. He is the man who supposedly put Ruth on her murderous path and the man she wants to return to life for, in order to kill him. He has also, just before the seance, murdered his landlady, who was getting a bit nosy. Beryl Mercer, usually the epitome of sweet, simpering mothers ("The Public Enemy", "All Quiet on the Western Front") is anything but here. If any actress can be forgiven for rebelling against typecasting, it was Beryl Mercer - maybe she was just taking one last stand, because in this movie her role was that of a sly, drink dependent hag who lived in a roach infested room.

Roma, now possessed by Ruth's evil spirit organises another seance and when Hammond is murdered she and Paul take off - he, envisioning a night of lust, she with murder on her mind. Lombard's transformation to the possessed Roma is more than just acting. Makeup creates a harsh look but at the film's end the lipstick, eyeshadow and general darkness of her face disappears and she is the old Roma once again. Again Vivienne Osborne, as the psychotic murderess really steals the show. She excelled at highly emotional parts - it was just such a pity that those roles were few and far between. She retired in the late 40s but even one of her last roles, as the sick querulous first wife of Vincent Price in "Dragonwyck", she was completely memorable.

Highly Recommended.