Character Relationship Map: Supernatural

Characters

• Roma Courtney (played by Carole Lombard) — protagonist

  Roma Courtney is a wealthy heiress contacted by Paul Bavian during a fraudulent séance concerning her deceased twin brother. She is manipulated into suspecting Nicky Hammond, later becomes possessed b...

• Paul Bavian (played by Alan Dinehart) — supporting

  Paul Bavian is a charlatan psychic and Ruth Rogen's former lover who betrayed her to the police. He deceives Roma Courtney through staged séances, kills Madame Gourjan and Nicky Hammond with his poiso...

• Ruth Rogen (played by Vivienne Osborne) — supporting

  Ruth Rogen is a woman executed for murdering three former lovers after Paul Bavian, her fourth lover, betrayed her. Dr. Carl Houston revives her body experimentally, while her spirit possesses Roma Co...

• Grant Wilson (played by Randolph Scott) — supporting

  Grant Wilson is Roma Courtney's fiancé and a skeptic of Paul Bavian's séances. He arranges a second séance to expose Paul's fraud, consults Dr. Carl Houston, and later realizes that Roma is possessed...

• Dr. Carl Houston (played by H.B. Warner) — supporting

  Dr. Carl Houston is a scientist who believes that the evil spirit of an executed murderer can leave the body and commit further crimes. After receiving permission to experiment on Ruth Rogen's corpse,...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Dr. Carl Houston → Ruth Rogen (Professional Experimental Subject) — Dr. Houston treats Ruth's corpse as the subject of a supernatural medical experiment.

  Dr. Houston receives permission to experiment on Ruth's body after her execution and attempts to reanimate it with electricity.

• Ruth Rogen → Roma Courtney (Meta Possessor) — Ruth uses Roma's body to confront Paul and move through the living world.

  Ruth's spirit enters Roma's body, leaves fingerprints on her neck, and later controls her actions.

• Ruth Rogen → Paul Bavian (Romantic Former Lover) — Their former intimate relationship becomes hostile after Paul's betrayal.

  Ruth is identified as having had Paul as her fourth lover before he betrayed her to the police.

• Roma Courtney → Grant Wilson (Romantic Fiance) — Their engagement anchors the emotional relationship threatened by Paul's deception and Ruth's possession.

  Roma attends the séance with her fiancé, Grant, and they later face the possession crisis together.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Ruth Rogen → Grant Wilson (Conflict Supernatural Threat) — Ruth's possession places Grant in direct opposition to the force controlling Roma.

  Grant must stop Ruth's possessed body from strangling Paul and prevent Paul from killing Roma during the yacht confrontation.

• Grant Wilson → Dr. Carl Houston (Social Consulting Visitor) — Grant uses Houston's scientific investigation to understand the supernatural threat.

  Grant accompanies Roma to Dr. Houston's laboratory and hears Houston explain his experiment.

• Roma Courtney → Dr. Carl Houston (Social Investigator) — Roma seeks information from Houston about the strange events surrounding her.

  Roma and Grant visit Dr. Houston after the séance while he is conducting his laboratory experiment.

• Grant Wilson → Paul Bavian (Conflict Opponent) — Grant challenges Paul's deception and confronts him during the final crisis.

  Grant schedules a second séance to expose Paul's fraud and later intervenes when Paul threatens Roma.

• Roma Courtney → Paul Bavian (Conflict Deceived Client) — Roma initially trusts Paul but becomes the target of his fraudulent spiritual manipulation.

  Paul conducts a séance for Roma and tricks her into believing that her deceased twin brother was murdered.

Story Analysis

A betrayed woman's spirit returns through a scientific experiment and confronts the psychic who sent her to death.

Plot Progression

1. Execution And Experiment — Ruth is condemned and executed after Paul's betrayal. Dr. Houston uses her body to test whether a criminal spirit can continue acting after death.
2. The Medium's Deception — Paul approaches Roma with a false spiritual message and stages a séance. His manipulation turns Roma's grief into suspicion and fear.
3. The Spirit Awakens — Roma and Grant visit Houston as Ruth's corpse is reanimated. Ruth's spirit then reaches toward Roma, transforming the scientific experiment into a personal supernatural threat.
4. Possession And Flight — Grant attempts to expose Paul during a second séance, but Paul commits another killing. Ruth possesses Roma, and Paul unknowingly takes her toward the yacht.
5. Revenge At Sea — Grant recognizes the possession and reaches the yacht during a deadly struggle. Ruth follows Paul after his escape, hangs him, and finally departs while Roma and Grant are urged toward marriage.