In a story that probably anyone in a creative field can relate to, Vincent Price plays the creator of elaborate magic tricks, who hopes to break out as a stage magician with his newest creation. Sadly, his debut is halted by his employer who reminds Price that anything he creates belongs to him, whether it was created on his own time, or not. His boss also stole his wife previously. Price, understandably gets upset and does away with his boss. Then, in an intricate scheme to insure that suspicion never falls on him, Price's character keeps finding himself cornered and has to escalate the body count as well as his cover story, which is threatened by a detective and a mystery writer.
The Mad Magician (1954) is a pretty compelling film. It moves along briskly. The inventive magic tricks on display, and the villain's maneuvering to stay ahead of the law maintain interest, and there are even a few moments of genuine suspense. Price also gets to stretch his range a bit as his character impersonates other characters throughout.
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