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1959 - 80m.

Based on the play by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood (that had been filmed three times prior to this version); this "old creaky house" thriller plays more as a mystery than a horror flick as famous novelist Agnes Moorehead rents a mansion in the country only to fall victim to a killer dubbed "The Bat" who wears a fedora and has claws on his left hand (and is perhaps a mild inspiration for the Freddy Kreuger character in the Nightmare On Elm Street movies?). There's also a sub-plot involving doctor Vincent Price and a hundred-million-dollars that may be stashed somewhere in the house.

Bearable potboiler might not be too exciting and the script has almost too many red herrings (the killer's identity is quite easy to guess) but it does have the plus'es of having Price (who adds class to practically everything he's in) and steady direction.

Moorehead fares poorest here as she tends to overdo it during "frantic" moments and its unintentionally amusing when she gets locked in a large secret room and starts running out of air almost immediately.

Directed By: Crane Wilbur.
Written By: Crane Wilbur.

Starring: Vincent Price, Agnes Moorehead, Gavin Gordon, John Sutton.