Movie spotlight
Thirteen years after a dinner party in which the thirteenth guest failed to arrive, the remaining guests are being murdered one by one, and their bodies being placed at the same dinner table in the appropriate seats they occupied thirteen years prior.
A young woman, Jane Wetherby, inherits a fortune but discovers that her late uncle's will stipulated that she must spend a night in his supposedly haunted mansion with twelve other guests. If she survives until morning, she will receive the entire inheritance. However, strange occurrences and a series of murders plague the night, making it a terrifying ordeal for everyone involved. Jane must uncover the truth behind the spectral events and the killer among them.
The Thirteenth Guest is often considered a minor, yet intriguing, entry in early horror cinema. While its production values and some of its performances have been noted as dated, its atmospheric suspense and early use of sound effects contributed to its notoriety. It garnered a moderate reception upon release, appreciated for its mystery elements and spooky premise, though not widely acclaimed as a groundbreaking film.
Praised for its spooky atmosphere and early use of sound effects.
Noted for its mystery plot and suspenseful storyline.
Criticized for its somewhat primitive direction and acting by modern standards.
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The film is notable for being one of the earliest sound films to feature a prominent use of electronic sound effects, particularly for the ghost's presence and the mechanical butler, which were groundbreaking for their time.
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Ginger Rogers ("Lela") and Lyle Talbot ("Winston") work well enough together in this quite enjoyable murder mystery. It all centres around a dinner party that took place (or didn't!) some thirteen years earlier, at which the wealthy host di...