The Mad Magician

 

This is a 1954 horror film directed by John Brahm. It stars Vincent Price, Mary Murphy, Eva Gabor and John Emery. 

A magician has a very stunning performance played on a set but his arch enemy has blackmailed him, threatening to expose his magic tricks and taking his work, as this same man also took his wife. So the magician kills him and tries to cover this up, avoiding any issues when police are searching for the missing man. When the magician's former wife appears looking for her husband, she becomes suspicious. 

A very twisty atmospheric film, set during the 19th century when police started to use fingerprints as evidence in their investigations. There are some incredible and gruesome scenes of disposing of a body, such as on a huge party bonfire that no one ever suspected. It was only after the fire went out that police were able to find human bones. The crematorium is also a scary magic trick that seems to be difficult to fool as it was in a visible glass container. I rate this hot magic film 7/10. 

Blood Strawberry

Spoilers: A crime novelist character might be a foreshadowing of the TV series "Murder She Wrote".