To me, this movie is perfection.

good back-story, and good acting

Absolutely the worst movie.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Corny low budget horror film about a rich old woman who staves off her relatives seeing inheritance by using her creepy insane brother to act as the butler, who then frightens (and possibly murders) them off. The brother is played by Craig Stevens, who's later play the ultra cool Peter Gunn, but here he's looking very much like Riff Raff from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Overall, it's a dumb mystery that's not at all scary. The film is very stagey (there was basically one set) and is overly talky. At times, this film felt like an SCTV parody of this type of bad 1940s horror picture. No real reason to watch this one outside of camp value.

A somewhat warped old lady, played by Cecil Cunningham, yes that's the actress' name, has a will giving the bulk of her estate to her personal secretary, in order that her greedy and selfish family not get their grubby hands on her money. Her brother has just escaped from an insane asylum and heads for home. Such begins a creepy and very morbid film, as bodies start dropping like flies. Willie Best is on hand as the chauffeur who is giving his usual wide-eyed and jumpy performance at all things spooky. Future "Peter Gunn" star Craig Stevens costars and Milton Parsons gives a particularly chilling and unforgettable performance as the crazy escapee. With hidden money, trapdoors, crevices, and clues to find it all, this film has everything you'd want for a macabre night of thrills and chills. A very complicated and intricate plot keeps the viewer glued to their seat and holding on for dear life. This film delivers like none other for a dark, rainy night. Just turn a light on afterwards, and watch your back....

A really first-class mystery thriller! Although the plot seems to be fairly straightforward and even familiar, the screenwriters manage some really thrilling and clever variations and even a few surprises. Despite the large cast of characters, they are all essential to the telling and working out of a really first-class plot that is built upon what seems at first to be an engaging but familiar idea, but actually has a few very novel and unexpected twists. The lead character provides Cecil Cunningham with one of her best roles in the cinema. Gale Sondergaard played this role on the stage Although billed way down in the cast list, Cecil Cunningham is actually the female lead. She had already played the role as the star as the 1934 stage presentation. However, the male lead in the movie is an even greater surprise, and even further down the official cast list, namely Milton Parsons, who here enjoys by far the meatiest and the largest role of his entire Hollywood career of more than 170 movies and TV shows. Willie Best is billed fourth and normally I would object to this stereotype, but West's timing is so perfect and he is so genuinely funny that he overcomes all my objections. The three top-billed stars, Stevens, Fraser and Bishop actually have only minor roles. Humphrey Bogart played an Horatio Chaning on the stage – but not here, alas!. The movie moves fast and is most capably directed by Ben Stoloff. Production values are first class., including noirishly glossy photography by Henry Sharp and ingenious sets by Stanley Fleischer. The movie is particularly well paced. Not a single minute is wasted. In fact the only thing that shouts "B" about the movie is its short running time of only 63 minutes. But they are 63 thrillingly heady, edge-of-the-seat minutes. Available on an excellent Warner Archive DVD.

This is no "Halloween", but I really enjoyed this movie..not for the scares, but for the laughs. It was a great way to pass a couple of hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon in the middle of winter. Willie Best was really entertaining. The other characters did just enough and although it was very campy by today's standards, I can't fault any of them. At the end when the policemen all left the house satisfied that they had solved the crime (but left all the bodies in the hidden basement well), I laughed right out loud. I found this movie on the Turner Classic movie channel, where I watch most of the black and white movies I enjoy. If you just look at it as pure entertainment, you'd be sure to enjoy it.