The Film
Bowery at Midnight is a Poverty Row crime drama with a handful of zombies thrown in for kicks. The fabulous Bela Lugosi stars, and stars... playing as many as four personae, actually. He’s first introduced as the philanthropic owner of the “Bowery Friendly Mission,” a no-questions-asked soup kitchen for the disadvantaged and, as luck would have it, criminals on the lam. It so happens that he also secretly runs a criminal organization of his own. Just to stir things up, one of his associates is a nervous former doctor with a quirky hobby of reanimating the dead as zombies, which he keeps hidden in a secret room beneath another secret room behind yet another secret room. (They’re so secret, in fact, that even the viewing audience hardly ever gets to see them.)

Meanwhile, the possibility is raised that this entire double life Lugosi’s character is leading may itself be an elaborate moonlighting career, for Bela Lugosi appears separately as a writer and devoted husband, whose wife wonders where he keeps going at night. Finally, Bela Lugosi plays a minor role as a university professor of psychology (whose school appears to be UC Berkeley, even though the rest of the movie takes place in Manhattan). Some viewers may stroke their chins and think, “What are the chances they’d all look and sound just like Bela Lugosi?” Others will scratch their heads and wonder, “What’s the point of all this?”

Bowery at Midnight is, ultimately, a bit silly, and has little regard for character motivation or even logic. The final bits seem thrown together and baffling (“what the hell?”-baffling, not thought-provoking). Viewers looking for real action or horror may be disappointed; there is no blood, little onscreen violence, and not much real suspense aside from Lugosi’s trademark evil-eye gaze. But the curious factor of Lugosi’s double- and triple-lives is engaging enough, and the dialogue is interesting, even quite humorous at times. (Two vagrants discussing dinner at the soup kitchen: “Wouldst thou partake?” “Wouldst!”) And that tense ‘40s atmosphere is established in the opening shots, and maintained nicely throughout. Ultimately, Bowery at Midnight is dated, slightly awkward, and poorly explained; but it’s certainly inventive, and fun enough to be worth a watch if you’re looking for an early entry into the “Zombies vs. Gangsters” sub-subgenre.

The Zombies
Unfortunately, modern zombie fans are also likely to be disappointed here, since these shamblers have about a minute of total screentime. I mean, Hitchcock had longer cameos in his films than this. However, there is at least one death-by-zombie, and there’s something eerie about the manner and location of their confinement. ‘Bowery’ earns its place in zombie film history as the first appearance of zombies in a domestic setting, as opposed to a tropical locale (thanks go to Peter Dendle, The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, for that observation). It has been argued that these are also the first fleshmunching zombies, based on one scene in which the deranged doctor coos to them, “Hungry, eh? Well, you shall have food... and a new companion, too!” But no one really gets eaten, and the “food” may simply be medication; it’s never really explained. And be warned -- the final scene will test the limits of even us zombie fans’ well-trained suspension of disbelief.

Acting
As usual, Lugosi practically carries the movie. One of the great things about Lugosi’s acting is that he takes his time; there’s a smooth deliberation to his mannerisms and some real dignity behind his performances, even when the dialogue is pure camp. In Bowery at Midnight, it’s quite fun to see Lugosi go from a friendly, almost avuncular philanthropist to a homicidal gang boss so villainous that he’s ready to sacrifice his own associates if it seems useful. The other criminals are well cast, including the gunman played by Tom Neal, whose real-life embroilments with violence and imprisonment overshadowed his career in Hollywood.

Other thoughts
The point of view is creative at times, as the film follows different characters as observed by others. The question of secrets and knowledge (or lack thereof) is interestingly layered; Crime-Boss-Lugosi seems to be holding all the cards at first, but the cards he lacks also become a factor. In other Lugosi films, it’s often Lugosi’s character who controls others; here he’s just as manipulative, but his control is more by wit and personality, and not as complete.

Some social issues show up in the context of Soup-Kitchen-Lugosi’s kindly humanitarian assistant (Wanda McKay, who would join Lugosi two years later for yet another zombie flick, “Voodoo Man”). If you listen close, you’ll catch her opinions on preferential treatment of the wealthy by the law and society, and whether slum neighborhoods like the Bowery are actually as dangerous as the paranoid elite make them out to be -- both topics of relevance today. She also stands out as a particularly independent-minded woman (remember, this is 1942) who refuses to have her life directed by her wealthy fiancé and family. What exactly the filmmakers intended with this feminist angle is eventually called into question by a remarkably chauvinistic development, but it’s worth noting nonetheless.

Conclusion
Bowery at Midnight is not for everyone; but for any fan of Bela Lugosi, lover of quirky old crime flicks, or zombie film history aficionado, I'd recommend it. If nothing else, for those of us who might go to work in jeans and a t-shirt, it’s always a treat to be reminded of a time when bums used to wear suits, ties, and hats... and use (corrupted) Shakespearean English.

6 out of 10 movie posters for “The Corpse Vanishes,” starring Bela Lugosi.