The 9th Guest (1934)

Eight people, every one of whom has got something to hide - from crooked politicians to greedy businessmen to fake 'society ladies' - are invited by telegram to a 'party' in a penthouse high upon a skyscraper; which, as soon as they all arrive, turns into a 'prison', and the party into a deadly 'game' between the eight guests and their mysterious 'host', who communicates with them only via a radio. And he predicts that, before the night will be over, either they or he will die - and slowly, the eight trapped people start suspecting each other of being the 'hidden' host...Does that sound familiar to us? It CERTAINLY does: Agatha Christie's famous novel "Ten Little Indians", which was made into the MAGNIFICENT thriller "And Then There Were None", runs pretty much along the same lines... Now, "The Ninth Guest" may seem to us like being on a somewhat smaller scale at first than Rene Clair's masterpiece - BUT not only does it predate that classic movie by 11 years, but it ALSO predates Agatha Christie's novel, which was first published in 1939! So the general idea originated from HERE...And seen as a classic murder mystery in itself, it's really one of the most suspenseful ever made, with a brilliant cast that conveys the psychological aspect of mutual suspicion and strong tensions PERFECTLY, as well as the conflict between despair and the will to survive... And there are some names among it that are QUITE well-known to fans of classic movies: Donald Cook would soon play the famous writer-sleuth Ellery Queen in "The Spanish Cape Mystery", and later became a TV star, just like Hardie Albright, who appeared in many a comedy and gangster movie in the 30s and 40s; and then there is, of course, lean-and-hungry Edward Ellis - the 'Thin Man' (no, not Nick Charles, of course, but the REAL 'thin man' Clyde Wynant, around whom the story of the original "Thin Man" movie revolved)! And director Roy William Neill, who did a FANTASTIC job in creating this claustrophobic atmosphere, later directed many of the 'Sherlock Holmes' movies starring Basil Rathbone. So the whole crew certainly IS a guarantee for an hour of CLASSIC 'whodunit' entertainment - a 'must' for every fan of the genre, and not only!

The best thing about this movie is its basic premise - eight people are invited by an unknown person to attend a party in an Art Deco designed penthouse. Once there, through a radio, they are informed by the "ninth guest" that it is impossible for them to leave because all the exits have been electrified and the phones disabled. The radio voice then informs them that each one of the guests will die. And one by one, the guests do start to die. It is fascinating how reminiscent this plot is of Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None,' her most famous book published five years after this movie. Of course, her book and the films later based on it are far superior to this movie. The two leads, Donald Cook and Genvieve Tobin really aren't given much to do and their characters are pretty bland. Even so, the 'Ninth Guest' is intriguing and sufficiently entertaining to be worth a watch.

This movie just became available on YouTube. This is an adaptation of the book The Invisible Guest, and follows a similar plot to Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians, while predating it by almost ten years. The plot is simple - people have been invited to a party by an unknown host, and are being killed off for their 'crimes.' In an interesting twist on the genre, this story is set in a modern penthouse apartment rather than a dark old house. And while the 'second butler' is introduced for laughs, he is on the screen for a mercifully short time.Don't expect a lot here - I gave it a '6', thinking it's just above neutral. I did watch it to the end, but I wasn't always engaged, and the clunky romance element didn't help it much. Also in its favor, in a negative sense, there was no bumbling police to spoil what there is of drama. Worth a watch for those who like the genre, but not something you'll watch a second time.

This is a very tough-to-find classic studio horror film from the golden age of horror films. Above all, it deserves to be seen by more fans of the films of that era. While it is very obvious from the beginning as to who the killer is (fans of this type of film will know based on formula), the film is consistently entertaining and very well-directed. Unlike many slow and stagy productions from the early 30s, this one is very fluid and Roy William Neill, who would later direct many of the Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films, has an excellent grasp on how to effectively move his camera. It is refreshingly unpretentious and almost sickly stylish at times and not stagy as a Monogram and Mascot feature almost inherently at some level must be. It is Grand Guignol fun with a stylish Art-Deco apartment where eight guests are trapped by the titular "ninth guest", a voice from the radio that commands their ill-fated party. It is reminiscent of Ulmer's 'The Black Cat' from the same year, in how it uses a modern design to decorate its' house of horror. The cast is very good and includes Donald Cook, who next year made a fine Ellery Queen and Edwin Maxwell and Samuel S. Hinds lend their usual solid performances for this type of film. It was made by Colombia Pictures.