Black Dragons

Horror / Thriller (1942) 64 minutes ~ Black & White
Nazis send plastic surgeon Dr. Melcher (Bela Lugosi), to Tokyo where he transforms Japanese spies into identical copies of prominent American businessmen. In order to keep their secret safe, the Black Dragons, an organization of fanatic murderers, imprison the doctor and plan his execution. The Japanese duplicates begin to commit acts of sabotage and destruction. The plan seems foolproof, until the impostors begin to turn up dead on the steps of the Japanese embassy. Secret Agent Dick Martin (Clayton Moore), is brought to investigate. He uncovers a trail of Horror, discovering that Dr. Melcher had been kidnapping, killing, and ever turning his victims, into deformed monsters.

Black Dragons is the third film in the infamous 1940’s Bela Lugosi "Monogram 9". Clayton Moore, seen here in one of his early roles, went on to great acclaim as the star of the western TV series The Lone Ranger.

Director: William Nigh

Writers: Harvey Gates (original story and screenplay) and Robert Kehoe (story)

Stars: Bela Lugosi, Joan Barclay, George Pembroke, Clayton Moore