The Mask of Diijon

Diijon, a tired magician, gives up his act to study the power of the mind. His wife Victoria, once supportive, now is struggling to pay bills. She urges her stubborn and older husband to return to the magic field where Diijon was considered one of the greats. He refuses but does reluctantly agree to do a hypnotism nightclub act at Victoria's urging. The act goes bad and he's laughed off the stage. He's convinced this is the handiwork of Victoria's ex-lover Tony Holliday. Later, Diijon finds that he does indeed have the power to control men's minds and begins to take revenge on the people he felt made him look like a fool. He hypnotizes his young wife to kill the man. Unfortunately for Diijon, things go horribly wrong.

The opening of the film features a memorable scene depicting a woman being beheaded, with a guillotine—then revealed to be a magic trick.

• Erich von Stroheim as Diijon
• Jeanne Bates as Victoria
• William Wright as Tony Holiday
• Denise Vernac as Denise
• Edward Van Sloan as Sheffield
• Hope Landin as Mrs. McGaffey
• Mauritz Hugo as Danton

TV Guide rated it 1/4 stars and wrote, "Except for von Stroheim, the acting was barely adequate."[2] Writing in Horror Noir, author Paul Meehan said the film "manages to transcend its humble origins primarily through the star power of von Stroheim".[3]

• The Mask of Diijon at the American Film Institute Catalog
• The Mask of Diijon at IMDb
• The Mask of Diijon at AllMovie
• The Mask of Diijon at the TCM Movie Database