Horace B. Carpenter
Dr. Meirschultz, a mad scientist experimenting on reviving the dead
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Synopsis
A former stage impersonator working for an eccentric scientist kills his employer and assumes the dead man's identity. Continuing the experiments only deepens his instability. Patients, relatives and neighbours enter a laboratory where disguise and delusion have erased the boundary between performing a role and believing it.
Cast
DirectorsDwain Esper
Inspirations
Dwain Esper and writer Hildagarde Stadie borrow motifs from Edgar Allan Poe, especially The Black Cat, within an exploitation-film framework. The independently circulated production mixes sensational incidents with claims of psychological instruction. It also incorporates imagery from the earlier silent film Häxan.
Sources and availability
The synopsis and editorial text were written for this collection. The references below were cross-checked to identify the film and its copy; each editorial section identifies its reference.
Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.
The reference concerns the original work. Restorations, colorization, translations and other territories may have different conditions. This site uses the player enabled by the channel.
Availability checked on September 10, 2026.
Photograph credit
Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.
- Horace B. Carpenter — director: Dwain Esper, cinematographer: William C. Thompson, studio: Roadshow Attractions · Public domain
- Ted Edwards — https://www.badmovies.org/movies/maniac/ · Public domain
