Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Strange Illusion

      Released Mar 31, 1945 1h 27m Drama List
      86% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 36% Audience Score 250+ Ratings A teenage boy suspects that the man who is wooing his widowed mother has ulterior motives. Read More Read Less Watch on Prime Video Stream Now

      Where to Watch

      Strange Illusion

      Prime Video

      Watch Strange Illusion with a subscription on Prime Video.

      Critics Reviews

      View All (7) Critics Reviews
      Matthew Sorrento Film Threat Though saddled with the script's fetish for Freud, Ulmer stylizes his thriller without sending it adrift. Like his other great films, Strange Illusion is a shaggy quickie that takes fine shape throughout. Rated: 4/5 Feb 18, 2011 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Hamlet on Poverty Row Apr 2, 2010 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Jun 27, 2005 Full Review Michael E. Grost Classic Film and Television Visually inventive crime thriller, with many strange sequences. Jan 18, 2005 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews An engrossing premise courtesy of Mr. Shakespeare. Rated: B- Sep 18, 2004 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Strange Illusion marks prolific filmmaker Edgar G. Ulmer's trip into Hitchcock territory, with often underwhelming results. Rated: 2/4 Dec 5, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (11) audience reviews
      Audience Member Snappy little thriller starring Jimmy Lydon (of "Henry Aldrich") fame. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Not the best Ulmer film but it's amusing. It's a twist on Hamlet which is nicely stylized. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Worth a watch. Watch it at night by yourself, not because it is scary (though it has a nice mood) but because no one will want to watch it with you. It gets Fruedy in a bit of a Sirky way. I have no idea why it's called Strange Illusion. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Can't trust psychiatrists. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member When I saw that this was a cheapie noir directed by Edgar G. Ulmer with no-name actors, I had high hopes for another Detour. Alas, no. A kind of Hardy Boys-ish mystery that's really no mystery at all, with lousy acting (especially by Jimmy Lydon in the lead), very few surprises and an overbearing score. Not to mention some instances of sexism (oh those gullible women!) and racism, thankfully somewhat mild. The one really unusual thing about it is that it all centers around a premonition, as Lydon's dreams come true. This really turned me off... I'm not interested in the paranormal when it comes to my noir. A couple of interesting touches (like the villain having a weakness for raping young ladies) but not enough to save the rest of it. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member He sounds like a subject for some mental analysis A young man has issues with his mother's new boyfriend. Initially, he finds the man peculiar; however, with some additional research, he discovers the boyfriend may be a cold blooded killer. When the young man tries to convince others of his findings, he is locked away in an insane asylum. A close friend tries to help the young man prove his case. "The boy came home unexpectantly." "Violent?" "Definitely." Edgar Ulmer, director of The War of 1995, Hannibal (1959), Escape if You Can, Prisoner of Japan, and The Shocking Truth, delivers Strange Illusion. The storyline for this picture is well done and reminded me of several Hitchcock films. The acting was better than average and the cast includes Jimmy Lydon, Warren William, and Sally Eilers. "I'd like to see some of those old ghost towns." Strange Illusion is part of a Thriller box set I received for Christmas the year before last. I found this picture fascinating and well delivered. This seemed to be an early version of the recent Step Father movie that was released in 2009. I recommend giving this film a shot. "The dream is beginning to happen." Grade: B+ Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      50% 33% What a Man! 80% 75% The Man I Love 80% 65% Angel 56% 71% The Razor's Edge 60% 83% Tomorrow Is Forever Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Photos

      View All Strange Illusion photos

      Strange Illusion

      Strange Illusion (1945) Strange Illusion (1945) Strange Illusion (1945) Strange Illusion (1945) Strange Illusion (1945) Strange Illusion (1945) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A teenage boy suspects that the man who is wooing his widowed mother has ulterior motives.
      Director
      Edgar G. Ulmer
      Screenwriter
      Adele Comandini, Fritz Rotter
      Distributor
      Producers Releasing Corporation
      Production Co
      Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Mar 31, 1945, Wide
      Release Date (DVD)
      Mar 27, 2001
      Runtime
      1h 27m
      Sound Mix
      Mono
      Most Popular at Home Now