Dr. Frederick Holmes (Lester Matthews) is on holiday taking a walking trip through Cornwall. While trudging through the moors one foggy night he gets a ride from a passing peddler (Harold DeBecker). The peddler drops him off in the little village of “Morgan’s Head” at the “Running Horse Inn”.
Dr. Holmes asks for a room and enjoys a beer in the bar. He buys a round for everyone and begins a conversation with one of the villagers, Hugh Penhryn (Forrester Harvey). Penhryn is a chatty fellow and the conversation ends up in a discussion of the local tin mine. Dr. Holmes asks why the mine isn’t being worked for the war effort. Penhryn says that the men in town stopped working in the mine because of the ghost of Black Morgan. It is said he haunts the mine.
After Dr. Holmes retires for the night a small party of men comes in to the inn. It’s been reported that someone saw a parachute coming down. Dr. Holmes, being the only stranger in town, is suspected. Dr. Holmes provides proof of where he stayed the last two nights. The men accept his documentation but are still suspicious.
The next day Dr. Holmes goes to the mine to check it out. He is killed by the ghost. Sir Henry Leland (John Loder) is basically the village squire and owns the big manor house in town. Lt. Christopher ‘Kit’ Hilton (Bruce Lester) is in the service and the closest thing to law in the village. Since no one goes into the mine, no one knows Dr. Holmes is dead. They just know he’s missing. Sir Henry begins a search with the town’s people. When lovely Letty Carstairs (Eleanor Parker) threatens to search the mine herself, Sir Henry and Lt. Hilton, thoroughly upstaged by a feisty woman, agree to check out the mine. Eventually the doctor is found in the mine, his head is missing.
Now most of the town believes he was killed by the ghost of Black Morgan but there are others that think Bart Redmond (Matt Willis) the local simpleton is the killer. Then there are others that believe there is something else going on in town.
“The Mysterious Doctor” was released in 1943 and was directed by Benjamin Stoloff. This is one of Warner Brothers “B” movies. It’s only 56 minutes long and basically, believe it or not, propaganda disguised as a horror story.
The ending may have been just a tad disappointing with the men marching and singing a war song, but everything up until then was just fun. The fog shrouded moors, the creepy mine and the headless ghost were just cool. The movie had tons of atmosphere and mystery. It just drips with it.
There is also a character that wears a hood because his face is scared. He runs the local tavern and everyone pays no attention to the eerie image he casts. Then there is the local simpleton that, for some reason, gets more attention than the spooky innkeeper with the rough voice.
This is one of those obscure little movies that were only made to round out the bottom half of an “A” picture screening. Far from being a time waster I found it charming and old fashioned. Nothing is a time waster if you enjoyed it.