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.
24 Reviews
And then there were almost none
Paularoc26 August 2013
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.
An amazing low-budget thriller!
planktonrules10 June 2017
A group of folks arrive at a mansion for a party. Each has received an unsigned invitation and are expecting an exciting night...and boy are they in for a surprise! It turns out some maniac has worked incredibly hard to create the setting and plans on killing off the guests...one by one. The guy communicates to everyone using a record player and no one is sure who the unknown host is...or if, perhaps, he's among the guests. Regardless, folks begin dying in the most diabolical manner...including poisonings and electrocutions! All, according to the machine, because these people are evil and deserve to be punished!
While the cast are mostly unknown actors and it's a B-movie from Columbia, don't think that it's just another schlocky B-film. No, instead it's very intelligently written and exciting...more so than many of the A-pictures. Well worth your time and amazingly good.
While the cast are mostly unknown actors and it's a B-movie from Columbia, don't think that it's just another schlocky B-film. No, instead it's very intelligently written and exciting...more so than many of the A-pictures. Well worth your time and amazingly good.
Nice Gem
Michael_Elliott29 February 2008
Ninth Guest, The (1934)
*** (out of 4)
Forgotten horror/mystery from director Roy William Neill turned out to be a real gem. Eight people are gathered at a house for a party, none of them knowing who invited them. Then a radio turns on and the host announces that before morning all but one will be dead. The film only runs 65-minutes but there's some nice suspense in the film as we never know who's doing the killing and why he has such an interest in these eight people and their dirty secrets. The great twist ending was ruined because I read a review over at the IMDb but I still had a good time getting there.
*** (out of 4)
Forgotten horror/mystery from director Roy William Neill turned out to be a real gem. Eight people are gathered at a house for a party, none of them knowing who invited them. Then a radio turns on and the host announces that before morning all but one will be dead. The film only runs 65-minutes but there's some nice suspense in the film as we never know who's doing the killing and why he has such an interest in these eight people and their dirty secrets. The great twist ending was ruined because I read a review over at the IMDb but I still had a good time getting there.
His name is death .
ulicknormanowen6 June 2020
It's almost certain that Agatha Christie did not see this 1932 movie which will inevitably remind the viewer of her classic murder mystery "and then there were none ": the unknown person who throws a party and invites people who have something to be guilty about; the similarities in the first part are striking : the host is not present ,there' s a voice out of a radio accusing the guests ,they cannot leave the penthouse (the doors are charged with electricity ) ,and of course,they begin to suspect each other.And let the countdown begin!
In fact , apart from the confessions , the development is closer to modern thrillers such as " saw" or the Spanish thriller "la habitacion de Fermat" .
The atmosphere itself is charged with electricity ;the only sound is the unbearable ticking of a clock ; the problem is that there is too little time to make acquaintance with the characters and the final confession is too hurried for comfort: if you have not read the book (very hard to find nowadays) ,it's sometimes difficult to follow the plot -the film hardly lasts 70 minutes.And it lacks the implacable mastery of Dame Christie .
Yet, her buffs should watch this because it contains the seeds of her 1939 masterful thriller.
In fact , apart from the confessions , the development is closer to modern thrillers such as " saw" or the Spanish thriller "la habitacion de Fermat" .
The atmosphere itself is charged with electricity ;the only sound is the unbearable ticking of a clock ; the problem is that there is too little time to make acquaintance with the characters and the final confession is too hurried for comfort: if you have not read the book (very hard to find nowadays) ,it's sometimes difficult to follow the plot -the film hardly lasts 70 minutes.And it lacks the implacable mastery of Dame Christie .
Yet, her buffs should watch this because it contains the seeds of her 1939 masterful thriller.
Terrific mystery thriller - a hidden gem
gridoon202417 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Easy to be mistaken for a variation on Agatha Christie's famous "Ten Little Indians", this largely unknown movie is more like an inspiration! (it was based on a book written 9 years earlier than Christie's book). Beyond the surefire premise (8 people trapped in a penthouse by an unseen host, killed one by one based on their past sins), it's tightly scripted, and benefits from the absence of law enforcement officials, and little comic relief (the assistant butler). There is even character development! Roy William Neill's sprightly direction never lets you feel claustrophobic (well, not more claustrophobic than you're supposed to feel anyway....),and the actors, although not top-drawer names, manage to differentiate their characters sufficiently. If there is one thing I can say against the movie, it's that it cheats - partly: two vital clues are named at the unmasking of the host, but if you watch the movie again, only one of them is true! *** out of 4.
Pretty good in its genre
jonfrum200015 July 2012
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.
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.
OK at Times But Lacking
Hitchcoc27 November 2018
This is a take on the "And Then There Were None" genre. Eight questionable people are invited to a party unlike any they have ever attended. It turns out that the hot is not around. They begin to die as the "Ninth Guest" is death. The problem with this is the people act stupidly, not thinking of logical things to do, or outrageously killing themselves. The timing of the deaths is absurd and so coincidental as to be ludicrous. Still, it had its moments.
Familiar format
russjones-808873 August 2020
Eight strangers are invited to a dinner party at an apartment. They are Informed by the host through the radio that they are all his enemies, without escape, and that they will meet the ninth guest: death.
Familiar format used often in film and also more successfully. Nevertheless the script, based on a book, which itself was based on a play, is effective and holds one's attention. Stars Donald Cook and Genevieve Tobin.
Familiar format used often in film and also more successfully. Nevertheless the script, based on a book, which itself was based on a play, is effective and holds one's attention. Stars Donald Cook and Genevieve Tobin.
This one was there BEFORE Agatha Christie!
binapiraeus29 May 2014
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!
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 9th guest
coltras358 November 2023
Eight people are invited by an unsigned telegram to a penthouse apartment, where they find themselves locked in and greeted by their unknown host's voice via the radio, who explains that before the night is over each one will be die unless they manage to outwit the ninth guest, Death.
The 9th Guest predates Agatha Christie's "And then there were None" with a similar plot . A group of people receive a letter asking them to attend a party and they die one by one. Mysterious circumstances have an air of suspense. The interplay and conflict between all the characters is quite engaging and add layers to the story. And finally, you get the survival aspect as they try to avoid getting killed. It's a fairly entertaining mystery thriller.
The 9th Guest predates Agatha Christie's "And then there were None" with a similar plot . A group of people receive a letter asking them to attend a party and they die one by one. Mysterious circumstances have an air of suspense. The interplay and conflict between all the characters is quite engaging and add layers to the story. And finally, you get the survival aspect as they try to avoid getting killed. It's a fairly entertaining mystery thriller.
...And His Name is Death!!!
kidboots1 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This is a suspenseful little mystery produced by Columbia, with imaginative and stylish use of lighting and camera angles. Genevieve Tobin plays Jean Trent and if you have never seen her in a film you have missed a really special actress. Her role in this movie is just a very pretty, frightened heroine but she could do much more. Hard to believe from this movie but given the chance she was sparkling, sassy and had a snappy way of delivering her lines that even the introduction of the code couldn't dampen (see her as a wise cracking Della Street in "The Case of the Lucky Legs" (1935)).
Eight people are invited by a mysterious host to a dinner party to be held in his or her honour. As everyone gathers at the party, the host is absent and the servants have been issued with strict instructions to answer all questions with "I do not know"!! After exploring the grounds they find 8 coffins - "one for each of us" - and are then told by the host, who communicates through the radio, that at the strike of each hour one of them will die. The first one to die is Osgood, a cowardly crook, who plans to poison all the guests himself but cuts his finger on the poisoned cap. Just before the next victim, Margaret Chisolm (Nella Walker) is slain, she is exposed as a bigamist, who has made a name for herself in society, with money from her husband, who she has had locked up in an insane asylum. All eyes, of course, turn to Tim Cronin (Edward Ellis) - Osgood was his enemy and Mrs. Chisolm had snubbed his daughter. As the night slips away the guest's lives are exposed as each reveals secrets about themselves and each other.
Even though my copy had a few minutes missing around the 20 minute mark, it doesn't take long to realise what is going on. The film is filled with actors you know, but can't quite place. Donald Cook was an under-rated actor of charm and sophistication who first came to notice playing James Cagney's responsible war weary brother in "The Public Enemy". Studios found him a dependable player and he found roles in a variety of films from Ruth Chatterton's brother in the teary "Unfaithful" (1931) to even playing her long lost son in "Frisco Jenny" (1933). Hardie Albright, who played Henry Abbott, was another actor who didn't live up to his initial build up.
Highly Recommended.
Eight people are invited by a mysterious host to a dinner party to be held in his or her honour. As everyone gathers at the party, the host is absent and the servants have been issued with strict instructions to answer all questions with "I do not know"!! After exploring the grounds they find 8 coffins - "one for each of us" - and are then told by the host, who communicates through the radio, that at the strike of each hour one of them will die. The first one to die is Osgood, a cowardly crook, who plans to poison all the guests himself but cuts his finger on the poisoned cap. Just before the next victim, Margaret Chisolm (Nella Walker) is slain, she is exposed as a bigamist, who has made a name for herself in society, with money from her husband, who she has had locked up in an insane asylum. All eyes, of course, turn to Tim Cronin (Edward Ellis) - Osgood was his enemy and Mrs. Chisolm had snubbed his daughter. As the night slips away the guest's lives are exposed as each reveals secrets about themselves and each other.
Even though my copy had a few minutes missing around the 20 minute mark, it doesn't take long to realise what is going on. The film is filled with actors you know, but can't quite place. Donald Cook was an under-rated actor of charm and sophistication who first came to notice playing James Cagney's responsible war weary brother in "The Public Enemy". Studios found him a dependable player and he found roles in a variety of films from Ruth Chatterton's brother in the teary "Unfaithful" (1931) to even playing her long lost son in "Frisco Jenny" (1933). Hardie Albright, who played Henry Abbott, was another actor who didn't live up to his initial build up.
Highly Recommended.
Mildly Amusing Whodunnit - The Ninth Guest
arthur_tafero10 March 2022
The Ninth Guest is a mildly amusing whodunnit in the genre of And Then There Were None, which is superior to this attempt. The actors are fine, as is the writing and direction. However, one gets the feeling that sooner or later, the culprit will come to a bad end. It is the inevitable conclusion that we all figure out after the love admission by one of the guests. Not the worst way to spend an hour or so.
Decent acting but storyline/dialogue lacking
garyjack59 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The 1930s had many popular "Who done it?" type of movies that were much better than this one. In this case the mystery is more of a ..."Who is doing this?", as the bodies of party guests continue to pile up.
The plot is just too contrived rather than twisting and turning with realistic believable surprises. I had to laugh out loud near the end when Hardie Albright's character tries to commit suicide by taking poison concealed in his ring. Donald Cook's character realizes what is happening and struggles to prevent him from ingesting the poison. Donald's next words...."That's your last trick Abbott. Now get us out of here or I'll kill you."
The plot is just too contrived rather than twisting and turning with realistic believable surprises. I had to laugh out loud near the end when Hardie Albright's character tries to commit suicide by taking poison concealed in his ring. Donald Cook's character realizes what is happening and struggles to prevent him from ingesting the poison. Donald's next words...."That's your last trick Abbott. Now get us out of here or I'll kill you."
The 9th Guest
CinemaSerf13 April 2023
I wonder how many of us would turn up at a dinner nowadays where we didn't know anyone and expect to escape alive? These eight did - and after a good dinner and some fine wine are informed by a radio that resembles a face on the wall, that they are all going to be killed unless they manage to outwit their host. Hemmed in by electrically charged doors and gates the group must learn to work together to try and defeat their foe whilst staying alive - quite an onerous task as it turns out that despite appearances, they are quite an unsavoury bunch. This benefits from having a cast of equals - there's isn't really a star as such, but a decent ensemble that work well under Roy William Neill to create quite an effective sense of suspense and peril. It's quite a gripping hour that keeps you guessing and is definitely worth a watch.
And Then There Were None
boblipton22 January 2024
Eight prominent individuals are invited to a dinner party. They don't get along, there or outside. Then a voice from the radio announces that they have been brought together for the benefit of the guest of honor: Death. One by one, they begin to die.
It's a handsome pre-noir movie directed by the under-rated Roy William Neill, with camerawork by the unfortunately forgotten Benjamin Kline; the guests are Donald Cook, Genevieve Tobin, Hardie Albright, Edward Ellis, Edwin Maxwell, Helen Flint, Samuel S. Hinds, and Nella Walker. They know that the murderer is one of their number, and as they talk, they realize that each has a reason to hate the other seven.
When you hear that, you undoubtedly think of the Agatha Christie novel, published under various names, most prominently as And Then There Were None. It is the best-selling mystery of all time. Its structure, imposed by Mrs. Christie from a British minstrel song, is carried out to the very end. It also was published five years after this movie came out, and this was based on a play by Owen Davis, and in turn on a book by Gwen Bristow and Bruce Manning. Therefore, although Mrs. Christie's book is a classic, this one owes nothing to it.
Instead it has a number of melodramatic tropes that work very well with the lighting and effects by Kline. In it, we see one of the sources of film noir, not so much horror -- although that is present -- but sheer blood lust, a revival of the antique Revenge Drama of the Elizabethan theater.
The overall effect is very good, with the mystery element nicely anticipating the later book. Even so, that novel, and its screen versions, particularly the one directed by Rene Clair, cast a shadow on it. I think it remains a highly watchable movie that will offer a lot to the viewer, even if it is no classic.
It's a handsome pre-noir movie directed by the under-rated Roy William Neill, with camerawork by the unfortunately forgotten Benjamin Kline; the guests are Donald Cook, Genevieve Tobin, Hardie Albright, Edward Ellis, Edwin Maxwell, Helen Flint, Samuel S. Hinds, and Nella Walker. They know that the murderer is one of their number, and as they talk, they realize that each has a reason to hate the other seven.
When you hear that, you undoubtedly think of the Agatha Christie novel, published under various names, most prominently as And Then There Were None. It is the best-selling mystery of all time. Its structure, imposed by Mrs. Christie from a British minstrel song, is carried out to the very end. It also was published five years after this movie came out, and this was based on a play by Owen Davis, and in turn on a book by Gwen Bristow and Bruce Manning. Therefore, although Mrs. Christie's book is a classic, this one owes nothing to it.
Instead it has a number of melodramatic tropes that work very well with the lighting and effects by Kline. In it, we see one of the sources of film noir, not so much horror -- although that is present -- but sheer blood lust, a revival of the antique Revenge Drama of the Elizabethan theater.
The overall effect is very good, with the mystery element nicely anticipating the later book. Even so, that novel, and its screen versions, particularly the one directed by Rene Clair, cast a shadow on it. I think it remains a highly watchable movie that will offer a lot to the viewer, even if it is no classic.
Who is The 9th Guest?
bensonmum230 April 2020
I'm not sure how or why I haven't seen this one before. The 9th Guest is an incredibly enjoyable discovery on my part. As any number of comments online will point out, the movie plays out much like Agatha Christie's better known And Then There Were None. Though The 9th Guest isn't a comedy, I'd be shocked to discover that this film wasn't at least a partial inspiration behind the wickedly funny Murder by Death and/or Clue.
In the film, eight guests have been invited to a mysterious party where they are promised a memorable evening. Each guest has a closet full of skeletons and most are quite vocal in their feelings toward the other members of the party. We later learn that the titular 9th guest is "Death". The party's host makes his presence known via a radio in the main room. He promises that throughout the night, one-by-one, each member of the party will be killed. With no means of escape, who will survive the night?
The acting in The 9th Guest is first rate. I'm not sure I was overly familiar with most of the cast, but all are outstanding. The writing is also worth noting. The dialogue is especially sharp. But I think the biggest kudos for the success of The 9th Guest have to go to director Roy William Neill (oddly credited as R. William Neill). It takes a masterful hand to wring this much atmosphere out of a film. Add to that the fact Neill does this without the usual gothic trappings I generally consider necessary to an atmospheric film. Instead of an old, dark Victorian mansion or some ancient, crumbling gothic abbey, The 9th Guest features a thoroughly modern (for its time) art deco penthouse setting I wouldn't normally associate with a film like this. The movie is only let down by how ridiculous some of the characters act when faced with death. Had they just kept a level head, more might have survived. But how fun would that have been?
8/10
In the film, eight guests have been invited to a mysterious party where they are promised a memorable evening. Each guest has a closet full of skeletons and most are quite vocal in their feelings toward the other members of the party. We later learn that the titular 9th guest is "Death". The party's host makes his presence known via a radio in the main room. He promises that throughout the night, one-by-one, each member of the party will be killed. With no means of escape, who will survive the night?
The acting in The 9th Guest is first rate. I'm not sure I was overly familiar with most of the cast, but all are outstanding. The writing is also worth noting. The dialogue is especially sharp. But I think the biggest kudos for the success of The 9th Guest have to go to director Roy William Neill (oddly credited as R. William Neill). It takes a masterful hand to wring this much atmosphere out of a film. Add to that the fact Neill does this without the usual gothic trappings I generally consider necessary to an atmospheric film. Instead of an old, dark Victorian mansion or some ancient, crumbling gothic abbey, The 9th Guest features a thoroughly modern (for its time) art deco penthouse setting I wouldn't normally associate with a film like this. The movie is only let down by how ridiculous some of the characters act when faced with death. Had they just kept a level head, more might have survived. But how fun would that have been?
8/10
SOME BACKGROUND ON "THE NINTH GUEST" MOVIE
rgcabana23 January 2022
"The Ninth Guest" was produced as a motion picture by Columbia, this in 1933 and released in 1934. In the Fifties, it was released to TV by Screen Gems, a subsidiary of Columbia, but was subsequently pulled from circulation. I was told some time ago, by someone at Columbia, that the picture was being readied for a rerelease - hopefully with the title card restored to the original - but this has not yet happened.
The film was based on the 1930 book entitled "The Invisible Host" and also the stage version, also 1930, with the title "The Ninth Guest" - this guest being Death! The book's novel plot has eight people invited and trapped in a penthouse, where they are scheduled to die sequentially (in the film, a fancy illuminated wall clock steadfastly renders the time, as if emphasizing the inevitable deaths!). One of thirty such books published in the early Thirties by the Mystery League, the most commercial aspect of these their striking art deco dust jackets - the main reason people collect them nowadays (most of the entries being outlandishly mediocre!).
The motion picture was helmed by veteran director, Roy William Neill, probably best remembered for directing eleven of the twelve superb "Sherlock Holmes" features released by Universal in the Forties. With the 1934 mystery, Neill transcended the finite area of a penthouse, in which most of the narrative transpires, with creative lighting and fluid camerawork - in one scene, the frightened victims are photographed through a large statuary hand, appearing to be in its grasp; for another, the cowering group are viewed from within a radio, the slats symbolizing bars! These creative touches are not heavy-handed but rather executed quickly; to look away could be to miss either! Discovering eight coffins lining the roof garden is yet another macabre touch.
Often compared to Agatha Christie's 1939 masterpiece, "And Then There Were None", "The Ninth Guest" gets into a bind when only three survivors remain in the penthouse, one of whom has to be the killer - whereas Christie's novel employs an ingenious gimmick serving to conceal the villain's identity, and in the end, all ten of the characters are dead (this not suitable to Christie's theatrical version, "Ten Little Indians", she changed it so as to have two people survive the mass murder!).
The Roy William Neill tour de force makes up for not having the guilty party consume poison, as in the novel and play, by electrocuting himself before the startled eyes of the couple who survived his machinations. As sparks fly about wildly and the current hums, the camera goes from the quivering killer to a light up in the wall, fluttering crazily before it goes out. End of picture.
An old Screen Gems print of "The Ninth Guest" can be viewed on the Internet. It's worth seeing!
The film was based on the 1930 book entitled "The Invisible Host" and also the stage version, also 1930, with the title "The Ninth Guest" - this guest being Death! The book's novel plot has eight people invited and trapped in a penthouse, where they are scheduled to die sequentially (in the film, a fancy illuminated wall clock steadfastly renders the time, as if emphasizing the inevitable deaths!). One of thirty such books published in the early Thirties by the Mystery League, the most commercial aspect of these their striking art deco dust jackets - the main reason people collect them nowadays (most of the entries being outlandishly mediocre!).
The motion picture was helmed by veteran director, Roy William Neill, probably best remembered for directing eleven of the twelve superb "Sherlock Holmes" features released by Universal in the Forties. With the 1934 mystery, Neill transcended the finite area of a penthouse, in which most of the narrative transpires, with creative lighting and fluid camerawork - in one scene, the frightened victims are photographed through a large statuary hand, appearing to be in its grasp; for another, the cowering group are viewed from within a radio, the slats symbolizing bars! These creative touches are not heavy-handed but rather executed quickly; to look away could be to miss either! Discovering eight coffins lining the roof garden is yet another macabre touch.
Often compared to Agatha Christie's 1939 masterpiece, "And Then There Were None", "The Ninth Guest" gets into a bind when only three survivors remain in the penthouse, one of whom has to be the killer - whereas Christie's novel employs an ingenious gimmick serving to conceal the villain's identity, and in the end, all ten of the characters are dead (this not suitable to Christie's theatrical version, "Ten Little Indians", she changed it so as to have two people survive the mass murder!).
The Roy William Neill tour de force makes up for not having the guilty party consume poison, as in the novel and play, by electrocuting himself before the startled eyes of the couple who survived his machinations. As sparks fly about wildly and the current hums, the camera goes from the quivering killer to a light up in the wall, fluttering crazily before it goes out. End of picture.
An old Screen Gems print of "The Ninth Guest" can be viewed on the Internet. It's worth seeing!
- Ray Cabana, Jr.
A black grim mad practical joke with no way out except death
clanciai28 October 2021
Someone appears to have invited a bunch of people, including three ladies, to have them all kill each other under the strain of a phantom voice threatening them all with their fate of having to die in there with no way out. Of course all the guests get nervous, since they can't get out without getting electrocuted to death. The best of them find a hidden closet behind a refrigerator with a lot of wine bottles, which they use wisely to get dead drunk. You never hear any more of what then happened to them. It's indeed an Agatha Christie thriller before her time but without poison, and some actually shoot each other by accident or on purpose, it's difficult to say. There is a reasonable conclusion to it all though explaining the whole mad practical joke, and some get out of the death trap alive, but most of them are being left to be buried later at random.
Murder by death by an unknown mad man might lead these guests to the fear that there might end up being none.
mark.waltz25 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
A superb thriller, this riveting nail biter is chock full of surprises that literally shock a few of the eight and might shock viewers as they get more intrigued by the goings on in this variation of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians". Eight people of varying moralities are gathered together for a lavish party at a stranger's home where the staff knows nothing of their employer, and no host seems to be around. As they are about to leave, the radio goes on and a booming voice warns them about the impending dangers they face should they decide to leave, indicating that only the strong will survive, and that most of them will perish due to their immoral characters. The battle of wills between the apparently evil guests and the sinister evil of the host becomes drawn, with one guest getting their due right at the stroke of 11, and several others forced through panic into doing things they know might either shock them right then and there or send them to the electric chair over crimes they commit in their efforts to escape.
The set up of this film is a mixture of gripping horror and light comedy, particularly through clumsy butler Vince Barnett who steals every moment that he is on screen, particularly in a drunk scene in a wine closet hidden within the elaborate kitchen setting. The cast of characters might not be all star players from Columbia's contract players, but they each get minutes to shine as they share their character (or lack of it) with other members of the party and the audience. Moments of panic leads to moments of intensity for the office, so this mystery/thriller gets to include genuine moments of terror as well, making this a combo mystery/horror film that keeps you guessing right up until the end. Donald Cook, Genevieve Tobin, Hardie Albright and Edward Ellis are the top billed guests, with Samuel S. Hinds and Nella Walker also recognizable for savvy classic movie watchers. The script, though, is the true star, intelligently written and sophisticated in its way of developing the terrors that go on right up until the end.
The set up of this film is a mixture of gripping horror and light comedy, particularly through clumsy butler Vince Barnett who steals every moment that he is on screen, particularly in a drunk scene in a wine closet hidden within the elaborate kitchen setting. The cast of characters might not be all star players from Columbia's contract players, but they each get minutes to shine as they share their character (or lack of it) with other members of the party and the audience. Moments of panic leads to moments of intensity for the office, so this mystery/thriller gets to include genuine moments of terror as well, making this a combo mystery/horror film that keeps you guessing right up until the end. Donald Cook, Genevieve Tobin, Hardie Albright and Edward Ellis are the top billed guests, with Samuel S. Hinds and Nella Walker also recognizable for savvy classic movie watchers. The script, though, is the true star, intelligently written and sophisticated in its way of developing the terrors that go on right up until the end.
Very good version of 10 Little Indians.
pauldeadman10 June 2020
Jigsaw's Grandfather
view_and_review3 March 2024
It is so cool when you see an old movie and you recognize that it is the impetus of a much newer movie. "The Ninth Guest" was set up like "Saw" minus the gruesomeness.
Eight guests of varying occupations, but all unmistakably high society, were invited to a party in a penthouse in their honor. When they arrived they found that they were trapped. They were told this by a pre-recorded voice that played on a phonograph. The voice told them that they were all going to participate in a game of wits. Should they lose they would die one at a time on the hour. Should the gamemaster lose then he would reveal himself and die before them. The gamemaster knew secrets about each of them and he would use that secret to beat them in the game.
I tell you I was so giddy. To see the very same plot of "Saw," except seventy years older, was exciting. There was the recording, the fact it was a game, the various traps to keep them there and also kill them, and, most importantly, their deaths would come from their own decisions and their own hands. It was marvelous. And it gets better. One of the lead actors was Genevieve Tobin. The main actor in the Saw franchise is Tobin Bell.
Wow! Just wow!!
I genuinely can't believe that such a movie came out in 1934!!
Free on YouTube.
Eight guests of varying occupations, but all unmistakably high society, were invited to a party in a penthouse in their honor. When they arrived they found that they were trapped. They were told this by a pre-recorded voice that played on a phonograph. The voice told them that they were all going to participate in a game of wits. Should they lose they would die one at a time on the hour. Should the gamemaster lose then he would reveal himself and die before them. The gamemaster knew secrets about each of them and he would use that secret to beat them in the game.
I tell you I was so giddy. To see the very same plot of "Saw," except seventy years older, was exciting. There was the recording, the fact it was a game, the various traps to keep them there and also kill them, and, most importantly, their deaths would come from their own decisions and their own hands. It was marvelous. And it gets better. One of the lead actors was Genevieve Tobin. The main actor in the Saw franchise is Tobin Bell.
Wow! Just wow!!
I genuinely can't believe that such a movie came out in 1934!!
Free on YouTube.
A great, quick mystery thriller
I_Ailurophile23 September 2021
Cleverly written exposition provides substantial details on all the chief characters within minutes while never seeming rushed or forced. Early dialogue, and the very arrangement of scenes as these characters all come together, similarly do much to inform us further of the scenario in a fashion that feels both direct, yet perfectly natural. With a final runtime of just over one hour, 'The ninth guest' wastes no time - the tension in the relationships between these characters is paramount, and the narrative shifts from introduction to active mystery and conflict with great fluidity.
The scenario is familiar even as details differ. We've seen very similar films before, with no few made across many genres in the years since this was released. This particular tale is more abbreviated and unembellished, but nonetheless keeps us readily engaged as the drama unfolds with intrigue and minor suspense. Set design and decoration is swell, sound and effects are suitable, and while characterizations aren't especially robust, the assembled cast realizes the parts well.
This is an instance where there just isn't a whole lot to say. I think the picture is entertaining and satisfying, and cast and crew alike perform well to actualize a story with writing that's solid, if truncated. While perhaps not as fulfilling as other renditions of the same concept in subsequent years - at only about 65 minutes long, 'The ninth guest' is an enjoyable whodunit that's worth watching should one come across it.
The scenario is familiar even as details differ. We've seen very similar films before, with no few made across many genres in the years since this was released. This particular tale is more abbreviated and unembellished, but nonetheless keeps us readily engaged as the drama unfolds with intrigue and minor suspense. Set design and decoration is swell, sound and effects are suitable, and while characterizations aren't especially robust, the assembled cast realizes the parts well.
This is an instance where there just isn't a whole lot to say. I think the picture is entertaining and satisfying, and cast and crew alike perform well to actualize a story with writing that's solid, if truncated. While perhaps not as fulfilling as other renditions of the same concept in subsequent years - at only about 65 minutes long, 'The ninth guest' is an enjoyable whodunit that's worth watching should one come across it.
Disagree with Trivia Spoiler opinion
rms125a15 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
While it certainly seems that Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None' (ATTWN), also known as 'Ten Little Indians', was influenced by this nine (9) years earlier work, it may or may not be so. Almost everyone is inspired by something seen or heard which later germinates. Christie may or may not have seen the film in question or read the book, who can know. As 'The Ninth Guest' only ran for a dismal 72 performances on Broadway, Christie surely did not see the play. One could propose the same theory of indirect influence regarding the American authors who seemingly plagiarized Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote 'A Study in Scarlet' first and which had some similar themes.
I also disagree with some of the comments in the TRIVIA (SPOILER) section: "Though it runs just over an hour, nearly every element of the film's plot was replicated in Christie's 'Ten Little Indians'":
1) "A coward who offers to collude with the murderer in return for his life being spared" - Totally inaccurate description of the relationship between Dr. Armstrong and Justice Wargrave in ATTWN.
2) "A male character managing the tension by drinking to excess" - Not in ATTWN.
3) "An uneasy romance between two of the characters who suspect each other despite their growing attraction" - In the original rather bleak novel ATTWN (later lightened up for stage, film and television productions), the relationship between Vera Claythorne and Philip Marlowe cannot accurately be described as a romance. Neither loves the other (Marlowe is not even capable of love) and the relationship never gets physical --- aside from And Then There Were None (2015), the latest adaptation of the thriller, which was rewritten and added an orgy scene involving 4 characters --- although as the last two surviving guests the two do form a brief alliance until it is violently destroyed.
4) "The two would-be lovers unraveling the solution to the mystery before they can be killed" - Not in ATTWN novel. Original bleak ending changed later for stage, film, and TV productions.
5) The 1930 work in several instances relies on elaborate electronic devices, more appropriate to the late 20th century or to the 21st century, which are used to constrain victims and inject poison - Christie's work has nothing of that sort.
6) The characters, some of whom know each other intimately, targeted for death in 'The Invisible Host'/'The Ninth Guest' are guilty of such serious but not capital crimes as conspiracy, corruption, and bigamy, and the killer is seeking revenge on those who directly impacted his life, whereas in Christie's ATTWN, each and every guest to the island is a stranger to each other (except the married couple of servants) and each guest (except the one, who will, ironically, kill the others) has evaded justice after being responsible for causing the death of (an)other human being(s).
7) In 'The Invisible Host'/'The Ninth Guest', one completely innocent person is killed (later revealed as the electrician hired by the killer to wire the apartment so a high-voltage charge ran through the metal gate that was the only way to leave), and the fate of the two butlers is not known to those who haven't seen the film or read the book. Moreover, the killer admits to the two innocents and would-be lovers, who leave the apartment before the grim ending, that the whole point of the evening was to get revenge on Margaret, Sylvia, and Cronin. So why invite and kill/try to kill the rest, including the woman he loves? Illogical.
Serious differences. Also, far more tellingly, there is no record of any accusations, much less lawsuits, filed by either Owen Davis and/or Gwen Bristow & Bruce Manning, for plagiarism or any similar such offense against Christie and her publisher, which, based on the above, would have been relatively easy to prosecute, presumably with a good chance of success based upon the superficial evidence.
I also disagree with some of the comments in the TRIVIA (SPOILER) section: "Though it runs just over an hour, nearly every element of the film's plot was replicated in Christie's 'Ten Little Indians'":
1) "A coward who offers to collude with the murderer in return for his life being spared" - Totally inaccurate description of the relationship between Dr. Armstrong and Justice Wargrave in ATTWN.
2) "A male character managing the tension by drinking to excess" - Not in ATTWN.
3) "An uneasy romance between two of the characters who suspect each other despite their growing attraction" - In the original rather bleak novel ATTWN (later lightened up for stage, film and television productions), the relationship between Vera Claythorne and Philip Marlowe cannot accurately be described as a romance. Neither loves the other (Marlowe is not even capable of love) and the relationship never gets physical --- aside from And Then There Were None (2015), the latest adaptation of the thriller, which was rewritten and added an orgy scene involving 4 characters --- although as the last two surviving guests the two do form a brief alliance until it is violently destroyed.
4) "The two would-be lovers unraveling the solution to the mystery before they can be killed" - Not in ATTWN novel. Original bleak ending changed later for stage, film, and TV productions.
5) The 1930 work in several instances relies on elaborate electronic devices, more appropriate to the late 20th century or to the 21st century, which are used to constrain victims and inject poison - Christie's work has nothing of that sort.
6) The characters, some of whom know each other intimately, targeted for death in 'The Invisible Host'/'The Ninth Guest' are guilty of such serious but not capital crimes as conspiracy, corruption, and bigamy, and the killer is seeking revenge on those who directly impacted his life, whereas in Christie's ATTWN, each and every guest to the island is a stranger to each other (except the married couple of servants) and each guest (except the one, who will, ironically, kill the others) has evaded justice after being responsible for causing the death of (an)other human being(s).
7) In 'The Invisible Host'/'The Ninth Guest', one completely innocent person is killed (later revealed as the electrician hired by the killer to wire the apartment so a high-voltage charge ran through the metal gate that was the only way to leave), and the fate of the two butlers is not known to those who haven't seen the film or read the book. Moreover, the killer admits to the two innocents and would-be lovers, who leave the apartment before the grim ending, that the whole point of the evening was to get revenge on Margaret, Sylvia, and Cronin. So why invite and kill/try to kill the rest, including the woman he loves? Illogical.
Serious differences. Also, far more tellingly, there is no record of any accusations, much less lawsuits, filed by either Owen Davis and/or Gwen Bristow & Bruce Manning, for plagiarism or any similar such offense against Christie and her publisher, which, based on the above, would have been relatively easy to prosecute, presumably with a good chance of success based upon the superficial evidence.
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