Villain(s)  Mad scientist

Actor(s):  Bela Lugosi, Luana Walters, Tristram Coffin, Minerva Urecal

Brief Description  The Corpse Vanishes is a 1942 American sci-fi horror mystery film starring horror icon Bela Lugosi, directed by Wallace Fox, and produced by the B-movie "Poverty Row" studio Monogram Pictures. The film follows a mad scientist who abducts young, virginal brides on their wedding days to extract their glandular fluids in a desperate bid to preserve his elderly wife's fleeting youth.

Plot:
The Attar Vanishing Act: The movie opens on a deceptively cheerful note inside a church during a high-society wedding. Just before walking down the aisle, the bride, Alice Wentworth, receives a rare, exotic orchid sent by an anonymous admirer. Upon smelling the flower, she collapses at the altar and appears to drop dead instantly. As the panicked wedding party calls for help, a mysterious hearse arrives. Two men quickly load the "corpse" into the back and speed away—just minutes before the actual ambulance and funeral home personnel arrive. This marks the fourth time a young bride has seemingly died at the altar and vanished en route to the morgue. Society reporter Patricia Hunter and her photographer, Sandy, witness the chaos and pitch the bizarre streak of stolen corpses to their newspaper editor.

Inside the Mad Scientist's Lair: The mastermind behind the plot is Dr. George Lorenz, a mad scientist who operates out of a secluded country mansion. Lorenz lives with his vain, aging wife, Countess Lorenz, and they bizarrely sleep in matching silk-lined coffins. The stolen brides are not actually dead; the orchid was laced with a specialized toxin that induces a temporary state of suspended animation. Lorenz operates a hidden basement laboratory with the help of a dysfunctional, cultish "family" of henchmen: an old crone named Fagah and her two malicious sons—a dwarf named Toby and a hulking, mute brute named Angel. In his laboratory, Lorenz injects the comatose brides with a needle behind their ears to extract vital glandular fluids. He then injects this fluid into his wife. The treatment temporarily and miraculously restores the Countess's youth and beauty, but the effects are volatile. The moment the fluid wears off, she violently reverts to her true, withered age, demanding that her husband procure more victims.

The Journalist's Investigation: Patricia Hunter begins tracking the origin of the orchids worn by the deceased brides. Her investigation leads her directly to Dr. Lorenz, who is a renowned botanical expert. She hitchhikes out to his remote estate, accompanied by a small-town doctor named Dr. Foster, who happens to be the Countess’s unwitting personal physician. Lorenz and his wife give Patricia a cold and suspicious welcome. However, a sudden, violent storm washes out the local bridge to town, forcing Patricia to spend the night at the mansion. Sneaking out of her room in the dead of night, Patricia discovers the horrific secrets of the cellar. She stumbles into a hidden mausoleum where Lorenz keeps the comatose brides in glass-topped coffins, waiting for their fluids to be drained. While exploring, she also witnesses the bizarre dynamics of the household, including Lorenz brutally whipping his giant henchman, Angel, after catching him stroking a sleeping bride's hair.

The Climax and the Ending: Patricia escapes the mansion the following morning and coordinates with her newspaper editor to set a trap for Lorenz. They stage a massive, fake celebrity wedding heavily guarded by plainclothes police officers, using a new "bride" as bait.Predictably, Lorenz attempts to strike again, but the police trap collapses. Chaos erupts at the mansion as the web closes in around Lorenz. Desperate and running out of time, Lorenz's domestic hierarchy completely breaks down. The old hag, Fagah, turns on the mad scientist after Lorenz kills one of her sons during the frantic struggle. In a fit of vengeful rage, Fagah stabs Dr. Lorenz. As Lorenz lies dying, his vain wife—completely deprived of her regular injections—rapidly and permanently turns back into an old woman before her husband's eyes. The police and Dr. Foster raid the basement, rescuing Patricia and freeing the surviving brides from their suspended animation.