9/10
Really good but forgotten murder/mystery
14 January 2002
1932 murder/mystery movie which takes place on a dark and stormy night (of course) and in a "country house" which looks like a castle (don't they all?). Actually this was based on a 1932 radio show which played for (I believe) 6 weeks. It ended with a murder unsolved--to find out who the killer is, you had to see this movie. It's still very easy to follow--you don't have to know the radio show to understand this.

It's lots of fun--there are plenty of suspects, film moves like lightning, has a few very scary moments (the appearances of the "phantom"), an eye-catching flashback technique and a pretty good performance by tall and very handsome Ricardo Cortez. Sometimes the age of this film shows (especially in the outdoor scenes) but, most of the time, it looks great.

This is (unfortunately) a little known film--it pops up on TCM occasionally but that's about it. If you get a chance, see it! It's incredible how this film still holds up after 70 years.
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