Strange Illusion
An adolescent believes that his widowed mother's suitor may have murdered his father.
Top Cast
-
Jimmy Lydon
Paul Cartwright
-
Warren William
Brett Curtis
-
Sally Eilers
Virginia Cartwright
-
Regis Toomey
Dr. Vincent
-
Charles Arnt
Professor Muhlbach
-
George H. Reed
Benjamin
-
Jayne Hazard
Dorothy Cartwright
-
Jimmy Clark
George Hanover
-
Mary McLeod
Lydia
Overview
An adolescent believes that his widowed mother's suitor may have murdered his father.
Rating
5.6
/ 10
23 Reviews 1 Popular
1 Reviews
-
CinemaSerf7 Mar 22, 2025Shortly after his father dies, the bright young “Paul” (Jimmy Lydon) starts to have nightmares that his mother’s new beau is, in some way, behind the death. Of course, she (Sally Ellers) doesn’t know of his spooky suspicions, but he does confide in his doctor (Regis Toomey) who is sceptical to begin with, but who begins to wonder if this man “Curtis” (Warren William) is indeed whom he claims to be. Might he have had an hand in the seemingly accidental death of the father - who was a judge? As the story develops, the young lad has to take up residence at the asylum of the enigmatic “Prof. Muhlbach” (Charles Ant) and the plot thickens more. Is there any truth to his dreaming or is he just a succumbing to the stresses and strains of his father’s death and of his mother’s impending nuptials? Lydon holds this together enthusiastically and as the mystery deepens, it has a slightly more sinister feel to it than many of these standard afternoon features. It also touches, albeit superficially, on the effects of grief on the young man and offers us something psychologically plausible for a while as “Paul” struggles to conclude himself whether he is correct or just losing the plot. Speaking of plots, yes there are some familiarities with other noir mysteries here, but Lydon does well and this certainly is just a little more menacingly different.
Recommendations
A widower suspects that his seemingly perfect adolescent daughter is a heartless killer.
The Bad Seed
7.1 2018
When twin brothers arrive home to find their mother’s demeanor altered and face covered in surgical bandages, they begin to suspect the woman beneath the gauze might not be their mother.
Goodnight Mommy
6.3 2022
A picture-perfect family is torn apart after Tyler finds a cache of disturbing images in his father's possession. He begins to suspect that the man he trusts most in the world may be responsible for the murder of 13 women ten years prior.
The Clovehitch Killer
6.4 2018
In Victorian era London, the inhabitants of a family home with rented rooms upstairs fear the new lodger is Jack the Ripper.
The Lodger
6.5 1944
A violent screenwriter and a female neighbor fall in love after she clears him of murder, but she begins to have second thoughts.
In a Lonely Place
7.6 1950
After his son is wrongly accused of kidnapping, a deacon who has just lost his wife takes matters into his own hands and fights a crooked police gang to clear him.
The Black Book
6.7 2023
A private investigator helps a former flame solve the murder of her wealthy grandfather, who lived in a sprawling estate surrounded by his idiosyncratic family.
Crooked House
6.4 2017
A once-celebrated kid detective, now 31, continues to solve the same trivial mysteries between hangovers and bouts of self-pity. Until a naive client brings him his first 'adult' case, to find out who brutally murdered her boyfriend.
The Kid Detective
6.6 2020
Wealthy writer Stephen Byrne tries to seduce the family maid, but when she resists, he kills her. Long jealous of his brother John, Stephen does his best to pin the blame for the murder on his sibling. Also affected by Stephen's arrogant dementia is his long-suffering wife Marjorie.
House by the River
6.8 1950
A detective becomes obsessed with solving a child's 50-year-old murder, uncovering striking similarities between the case and his son's disappearance.
Stolen
5.9 2009