A young woman suffering from nightmares visits Warner Baxter's Dr. Ordway (with his own crimes now a thing ot the past), and he goes to the stormy seaside mansion where she lives, complete with rocky waves rushing in at all hours, a convicted killer (Ben Welden) who works doing errands, a creepy scientist (George Zucco, adding the usual sinister presence), sister Jeanne Bates, brother-in-law Lester Matthews and foster sibling Edward Norris. Murders occur, nobody really mourns, and the crime doctor once again proves thanks to guidance of the script that he's the smartest man in any room.
Silly but quite fun thanks to the gang of weirdos (especially Zucco who has made a fabric out of weeds), this has that atmosphere that is best watched with the lights out, sans a single candle. The plot of death in a spooky seaside home is as old as live theater, but when dome right is a delight. Equal to the first entry of the series in an intelligent script, and even better than the second one for a spooky moment or thirteen. Foch is great, more than just your typical ingenue, standing up to Baxter when they disagree, and quite formidable with attorney Arthur Hohl. Light comedy helps, but the real laughs come from irony, not slapstick.
Silly but quite fun thanks to the gang of weirdos (especially Zucco who has made a fabric out of weeds), this has that atmosphere that is best watched with the lights out, sans a single candle. The plot of death in a spooky seaside home is as old as live theater, but when dome right is a delight. Equal to the first entry of the series in an intelligent script, and even better than the second one for a spooky moment or thirteen. Foch is great, more than just your typical ingenue, standing up to Baxter when they disagree, and quite formidable with attorney Arthur Hohl. Light comedy helps, but the real laughs come from irony, not slapstick.