At times this is really quite the good ghost story. At other times it is plain silly. It begins with the death of a man who is the victim of catalepsy. His friend, played by Boris Karloff, is suspicious of the death and manages to revive him after the funeral. The guy then becomes obsessed with preventing this from this happening again. He is engaged to a much younger woman who is a gold digger. She is having an affair with a handsome young artist who can't wait to get his hands on her money after she marries the guy. He then builds this insane crypt where he is to be placed if he appears to have died. He has a breakaway coffin and a series of escape devices, including a warning bell that he can use. Of course, the wife still wants the money and when the opportunity present itself, she leaps at the chance. The ending doesn't wreck the story, but it was almost laughable.
Review of The Premature Burial
