The Ninth Guest (1934)

Eight inter-connected people from the political and high social life of a big city are invited by an anonymous host to a secluded penthouse. Each are told it’s a party in their honour and the guests include 2 rival political bosses, a journalist, a singer and a society matron. The doors are then electrified to prevent anyone leaving and a voice over the radio informs them that each hour one of them will die.

Inventive and intriguing little mystery from director Roy William Neill. Although the final revelations aren’t particularly startling, this is still an interesting setup with bags of potential. The story was based on the novel ‘The Invisible Host’ written by husband and wife Bruce Manning and Gwen Bristow. Manning went on to a lengthy screenwriting career in Hollywood, most notably writing hit movies for teenage songstress Deanna Durbin, by the age of 21 the most highly paid female movie star in the world. Curiously enough, some sources also mention a play by the other credited writer, Owen Davis so it’s probable that elements from both were used.

‘Must you, Gerald?’ ‘Yes, Cecily, I know I’m a bounder and wotnot but I really want to get with you, bitch.’

Although the film is a fairly straightforward whodunnit in the manner of Agatha Christie, there are some macabre and unusual touches. Yes, we get death by poison and gunshot but we also get electrocutions and some victims voluntarily choosing suicide. One of the other great advantages that the film has are the art deco settings of the penthouse apartment. No one is credited with the production design, which is a great shame. It’s not as striking as Karloff’s mansion in ‘The Black Cat’ (1934) but it’s in the same style and I particularly liked the illuminated wall clock and the sliding panels.

Our cast has few recognisable names and no one is particularly memorable in their role but everyone does a professional job. Samuel S Hinds (torture victim Judge Thatcher in ‘The Raven’ (1935)) and Genevieve Tobin from ‘The Petrified Forest’ (1936) were the only faces I recognised.

‘The Ninth Guest’ (1934) has a strong premise, whose potential is not quite realised in the end. But it’s a cut above the many similar mystery films that Hollywood was producing at the time and if it does seem a little stage-bound at times, there’s enough talent at work to see it through. Director Neill went on to helm most of the Rathbone-Bruce ‘Sherlock Holmes’ series in the 1940s and a string of other tightly plotted, atmospheric thrillers of the time.