One Frightened Night

Rating:
Summary: One Of The Better Old Dark House Flicks
Review: For what it is, a creaky Poverty Row old-dark-house whodunnit, this gets 4 out of 5. A group of people are gathered in a spooky old mansion on a stormy night to be told by an eccentric millionaire that they would all be given a million dollars that night. The rich guy's long lost granddaughter shows up and the offer is withdrawn. Then another babe shows up claiming to be the missing heir and the first woman is found murdered. So now we have a killer on the loose. Flying knives, blow darts, poison, secret passages and a villain in a hideous mask is what we're treated to in this 63-minute mystery with an abundance of comedy relief and a pretty good script. The picture and sound quality on the cheap Alpha DVD is VHS standard. The image could have been a little sharper and some of the dark scenes are a little murky, but overall.... not bad! One of the best of the genre. Fans of creaky old flicks will recognize some of the cast, Lucien Littlefield, Hedda Hopper, Regis Toomey, Wallace Ford, etc. Some nice twists and turns in the plot and all that is missing is a maniacal gorilla on the loose. Check it out!

Rating:
Summary: Old Dark House Style Thriller
Review: One Frightened Night cannot hope to aim for the heights set by the more well known "Old Dark House" but for a cheapie released by "Mascot Pictures" it's not too bad.

An eccentric millionaire Jasper Whyte, unable to locate his only granddaughter, decides to divide his estate among a group of people less close to him: his niece and nephew, his attorney, his doctor, and his housekeeper. But complications and murder arise when two different women turn up, claiming to be the granddaughter.

Typical "reading of the will" type fare. The crotchety Jasper surprises his relations by promising them all $1,000,000, barring the return of wayward granddaughter Doris Waverly before midnight-- but come the witching hour, Jasper finds he must choose between two young women claiming to be the grown up Doris.

The movie does have a bit of that poverty row look to it but still rises above most others in the genre with some great atmosphere and strong performances. Among the co-stars are Wallace Ford, who would later co-star in two of Universal's Mummy movies As Babe Jensen and Hedda Hopper who would become Hollywood's leading gossip columnist.

Quite a well-done murder/Old Dark House Mystery. Surprisingly good!