Slow moving and sometimes tedious throughout most of the film, this British thriller really pays off for those who can make it through. The Lebanon estate is racked with murder, and Lady Lebanon (the regal Helen Haye, no "s") is doing all she can to prevent an outright scandal. She's very protective of son Marius Goring, almost frighteningly so, and is trying to push distant relative Penelope Dudley Ward together with him. Ward works as her secretary and is stunned to find herself locked in at night while hearing frightening laughs. The investigation of Ward's fiancee's murder takes up much of the middle of the film with Scotland Yard investigations explained in detail. This is where it gets a bit slow, but as you will see if you get past these slow parts, it has a very important point to make on the process of the case.
Great novels and mysteries always have slow points of exposition, and in the case of this version of the Edgar Wallace story, you have to deal with those portions to get hints to possible solutions and possibly solve the mystery on your own. The three leads are great, with Haye reminding me of Maggie Smith on "Downton Abbey" and even that other Helen Haye(s) as the dowager empress in "Anastasia", a role Ms. Haye ironically played as well. The last 10 minutes are terrific, so for audiences who remain patient, the payoff will be worth it.
Great novels and mysteries always have slow points of exposition, and in the case of this version of the Edgar Wallace story, you have to deal with those portions to get hints to possible solutions and possibly solve the mystery on your own. The three leads are great, with Haye reminding me of Maggie Smith on "Downton Abbey" and even that other Helen Haye(s) as the dowager empress in "Anastasia", a role Ms. Haye ironically played as well. The last 10 minutes are terrific, so for audiences who remain patient, the payoff will be worth it.