It may be directed by Bernard Vorhaus, but The Amazing Mr. X is cinematographer John Alton’s film. A visual repast that alternates between dream-like, Gothic sequences and down-to-earth plot twists, the film stars Lynn Bari as young, wealthy widow Christine Faber whose sister Janet (Cathy O’Donnell) and boyfriend Martin (Richard Carlson) want her to move on with her life; Christine, however, continues to hear her husband’s voice and see his ghost in her moonlit mansion on a cliff, so when she meets the charming, enigmatic spiritualist Alexis (Turhan Bey) on the beach, she’s easily seduced into purchasing his paranormal services. Just when we learn the behind-the-scenes secrets of Alexis’ subterfuge, however, the tables turn, and he suddenly becomes a victim in an even grander plot. Alton’s camera and lights produce such exquisite compositions that we can forgive the film’s handful of questionable special effects and imperfect dialogue; Alton’s boundless imagination positions the camera to afford viewers outrageous vantage points, like from inside a fireplace, from underneath the crystal ball, even from inside the drain of a bathroom sink!