RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Beulah Bram A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

kidboots "Supernatural" broke new ground, being one of the first films to deal with possession by otherworldly influences. Before the Golden age of Horror, film chillers were usually adaptations of stories by Poe or Stevenson and ghost stories usually had "down to earth" explanations, explained at the movie's end. After the popularity of "Dracula" there came a greater acceptance among the public of things of a super- natural bent. The reasons may also have been that during the early talkies, when sound recording was often limited to one or two sets - movies about faith healers, mentalists and seances became extremely popular. Between "White Zombie" (1932) and it's supposed sequel "Revolt of the Zombies" (1936) the Halperin Brothers made only 2 films - one was the forgettable "I Conquer the Sea", the other was the unusual and innovative "Supernatural" starring the luminous Carole Lombard.With several scriptural quotations, as well as a montage of newspaper headlines and courtroom shots, the scene is set and we are introduced to Ruth Rogan (the always excellent Vivienne Osborne) who is to die in the electric chair for murdering three lovers. Not only is Ruth not sorry, she is eager to kill again - if only she can get a reprieve - No Chance!! Meanwhile, Roma Courtney (Carole Lombard), who is grieving over the death of her brother, John, receives a note from spiritualist Paul Bavian (the always excellent Alan Dinehart), who tell her he has been visited by a "distressed John" and wants to arrange a seance. There is always a naysayer in these movies and in this one it happens to be Randolph Scott, who plays Roma's shoulder to cry on (and hoping to be more) Grant. At the seance "John" appears and accuses Hammond (William Farnum) an old family friend of killing him to eventually take control of his fortune. Afterwards Roma and Grant visit Dr. Houston (H.B. Warner) and find him in the middle of a ghastly experiment. Before Ruth Rogan's execution she had given permission for Houston to experiment with her remains - to see what makes her tick!!! When Roma bursts in, Ruth (looking no worse for her electrifying death) is sitting there and after a flutter of curtains, the harassed doctor demands that Grant "get Roma out of the room" - too late she is already possessed!!!Bavian has a few secrets, not the least that he is a phoney spiritualist. He is the man who supposedly put Ruth on her murderous path and the man she wants to return to life for, in order to kill him. He has also, just before the seance, murdered his landlady, who was getting a bit nosy. Beryl Mercer, usually the epitome of sweet, simpering mothers ("The Public Enemy", "All Quiet on the Western Front") is anything but here. If any actress can be forgiven for rebelling against typecasting, it was Beryl Mercer - maybe she was just taking one last stand, because in this movie her role was that of a sly, drink dependent hag who lived in a roach infested room.Roma, now possessed by Ruth's evil spirit organises another seance and when Hammond is murdered she and Paul take off - he, envisioning a night of lust, she with murder on her mind. Lombard's transformation to the possessed Roma is more than just acting. Makeup creates a harsh look but at the film's end the lipstick, eyeshadow and general darkness of her face disappears and she is the old Roma once again. Again Vivienne Osborne, as the psychotic murderess really steals the show. She excelled at highly emotional parts - it was just such a pity that those roles were few and far between. She retired in the late 40s but even one of her last roles, as the sick querulous first wife of Vincent Price in "Dragonwyck", she was completely memorable.Highly Recommended.

mhesselius Negative reviews of this film should be seen in context. Most Carole Lombard fans are looking for light comedies and romances, certainly not horror pictures. Horror fans, however, must be delighted to find Lombard starring in this movie from the Halperins, who produced the successful Lugosi vehicle "White Zombie" in 1932.Only a few times in the 1930s' golden age of horror did these films get the star power and production they deserved. Among major studios Paramount led the way with this type of film, even predating Universal with John Barrymore's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" in 1920 when the only horror films were coming out of Germany. In the '30s Paramount, encouraged by Universal's success, cast Charles Laughton in "The Island of Lost Souls" and Frederic March in a remake of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." In "Supernatural" Lombard is fine in the lead role of a woman possessed by the evil spirit of a murderess. And while this film is not a classic, it is an effective horror film by a major studio. The fact that it rates 6.0 stars is amazing when you consider what types of films Lombard's fans are used to seeing her in.

DeborahPainter855 I've seen this film 3 times over the past 16 years and I have to say that it still has its moments. Real pros were in charge of seeing to it that the movie evokes the right mood. No, it's not made in the same vein as "The Blair Witch Project" or any of a number of modern scarefests. Older movies often have a distinct style which is different than that used by directors, cinematographers and set designers today. This should not detract from the appreciation of old scary movies. Black and white cinematography can only enhance them. See the scene with the dead murderess in the scientist's laboratory for an example of what I mean. Brr.

preppy-3 Silly horror tale about the soul of an executed murderess possessing the body of another woman. Film starts off well but quickly becomes slow and boring. Some impressive visuals throughout, but the main plot is absurd--according to this, the spirits of executed killers possess living people and have them perform "copycat" murders! It's ridiculous and we're supposed to take it seriously.The cast doesn't help. With the sole exception on Vivienne Osborne as the murderess everyone is horrible--even Carole Lombard and Randolph Scott! Lombard was forced into this movie--she really didn't want to do it--and it shows. Montgomery is certainly handsome but VERY bland and dull. The rest of the cast is just hopeless--none of them went on to become well-known--it's easy to see why.An old, creaky boring horror film. Don't bother.