Synopsis
Adolescent Paul Cartwright believes that his father's death and his mother's plans for remarriage are not merely coincidental. This suspicion becomes solidified after he receives a letter written by his father before the man was found dead. Spurred on by this message from beyond the grave, Paul decides to feign insanity in the hopes of catching his mother's suitor off guard and exposing him as his father's murderer. Committed to an asylum by his mother at the prompting of her fiance, Brett Curtis, the youth is subjected to intense scrutiny by the hospital staff. The plan nearly backfires in the sinister surroundings of the asylum, which drives Paul to the edge of sanity. Finally, the youth gathers enough evidence to convict his mother's lover as his father's murderer. Strange Illusion is another stylish, low-budget feature directed by Edgar G. Ulmer; but unlike his other noir efforts, notably Detour and Ruthless, Strange Illusion is a relatively actionless production. The most interesting aspect of the film rests in its updating of Hamlet, complete with the message from beyond the grave and the faked insanity, into a contemporary thriller. The noir tone of Strange Illusion is accentuated by both Warren William's portrayal of the lecherous cad and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the mental hospital. William, who for the previous decade had been one of the Warner's studios matinee idols, adds a naturalistic dimension to the character of the suave, middle-aged gigolo Brett who leers at teenage girls lounging around a private pool. The asylum sequences, on the other hand, are controlled visions of chaos and corruption, a mental hell sardonically defined by Ulmer." (Film Noir, Silver and Ward, The Overlook Press, 1979)