The Evil Power

An effective melodrama in two reels that is weird and terrible. It deals with a hypnotist who gets weak women in his power so that, after a sufficient measure of suspense, they may be rescued. The early scenes are weak and do not help the story as much as they should. They introduce the first victim, a girl whom the evil man merely needs to help in his conquest of the second victim, the wife of a prominent businessman. The producer, perhaps knowing that some strong scenes were coming, did not take enough trouble to make the evil man's method of meeting the second victim convincing; it is poor. After that, though, the story is well planned and effective; it gets one under its spell strongly. It is well acted by the five chief characters; the photography is clear and effective; and the backgrounds have an Asiatic touch now and then that helps. Where such stories are liked, this will go strongly. It was produced by Otis Turner from the script of himself and D.F. Wilcox. - The Moving Picture World, September 6, 1913