The Invisible Ray (1936) on Netflix
NR19361h 19mHorrorSci-FiThriller
Dr. Janos Rukh's telescope photographs light from the Andromeda Galaxy. Colleagues join his expedition to an African meteorite, and its Radium X leaves him glowing, his touch deadly.
- Netflix3.2/5
- IMDb6.5/103,512 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes63%
Trailer
Plot summary
Dr. Janos Rukh has spent years arguing that a telescope can capture light rays from the Andromeda Galaxy and show the Earth's past, a claim his fellow scientists dismiss. When he projects a meteorite striking Africa a billion years ago across his lab dome, Dr. Benet and Sir Francis Stevens are convinced and invite him to hunt for the impact site. Rukh reaches the meteorite and is exposed to its unknown radiation, which the party names Radium X. The rays leave him glowing in the dark, turn his touch deadly to anything living, and begin to unsettle his mind. Back at camp he asks Benet for a way to stop the poisoning. Benet's serum holds it in check, but Rukh needs regular doses.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Invisible Ray (1936)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Stuart Walker, the film's first director, was unhappy with John Colton's script and asked Universal for a three-day delay to work on it; when the studio refused, he left the production.
- The film was budgeted at $166,875, described in the book Universal Horrors as lavish for an "upper-class B" picture, and finished over schedule and $68,000 over budget.
- Footage from the film, including the scenes of a scientist descending into a fiery pit, was reused in Universal Pictures' serial The Phantom Creeps.
