Humphrey Bogart Played A Vampire In The Only Horror Movie He Ever Made, And He Hated It

Although Humphrey Bogart is widely recognized for his dramatic roles in films like The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca, the actor also played a vampire in a lesser-known horror film. In 1939, Bogart played a character completely different from his usual work when he appeared in The Return of Doctor X. Based on The Doctor Secret by William J. Makin, The Return of Doctor X follows a reporter investigating a series of strange murders. Prior to his role as the title character in the horror film, Humphrey Bogart had mostly starred in gangster movies.

Humphrey Bogart starred in various movies throughout his career and The Return of Doctor X was the only horror film he ever made. The Return of Doctor X received divisive reviews, with some critics calling the movie one of Bogart’s worst roles. Despite the negative reviews The Return of Doctor X received, Bogart went on to have an illustrious career and cemented his place as a Hollywood legend.

Humphrey Bogart Played A Vampire In Return Of Doctor X

The Return Of Doctor X Was Humphrey Bogart’s Only Horror Film

Throughout his career, Humphrey Bogart has had some iconic roles, including playing a vampire in The Return of Doctor X. In the movie, Bogart plays Dr. Maurice Xavier, a criminal who was arrested and executed for his diabolical experiments that led to the death of a child. Following his death, Dr. Flegg used his synthetic blood to resurrect Dr. X. However, Dr. X wasn’t able to synthesize the blood himself, so the two had to kill people for their blood.

Dr. X wasn’t a traditional vampire, nor was he referred to as such in The Return of Doctor X. However, his abilities and hunger for blood clearly establish him as a vampire, albeit one of a scientific – rather than supernatural – origin. While Bogart wasn’t exactly famous for starring in horror films, he did a good job of playing a character that wasn’t in a genre he was comfortable with. The movie didn’t exactly become a hit with critics and audiences, but it did demonstrate a side of the actor not seen in his gangster films, or the film noir classics he would headline later.

What Humphrey Bogart Thought About Return Of Doctor X

Humphrey Bogart Hated The Return Of Doctor X

When Humphrey Bogart was cast to play the role of Doctor X, he thought that he wasn’t the right man to be the title character. The American icon felt that Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff should have been the ones to play the creepy doctor. Bogart explained how he felt about the movie, saying, ”This is one of the pictures that made me march in to [Warner Bros. studio chief Jack L. Warner] and ask for more money again,” (via TCM).

Bogart did not hide how he felt about The Return of Doctor X, which at one point he had called a ”rotten movie.” The actor apparently disliked the movie so much that he never acted in a horror film again. Despite some audiences agreeing with Bogart that he was miscast in The Return of Doctor X, the role remains – for better or worse – a part of his enduring Hollywood legacy, as it was one of several precursors to Bogart’s rise to stardom.

Sources: TCM