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An extraordinarily entertaining thriller. The acting is melodramatic, and rightly so. A clever plot by Agatha Christie (how could it be otherwise?) keeps things moving along at a rapid clip. Two wonderful players -- Basil Rathbone and Ann Harding -- give bravura over-the-top performances that are breathtaking in their high-wire daring. Ann Harding especially was a revelation -- a gorgeous blonde with poise and class who had beautiful diction -- an American mid-Atlantic "Seven Sisters" voice that was as melodious as a cello. Basil Rathbone never ceases to amaze. Here, he is frightening and charming simultaneously. And two cheers for the Art Deco furnishings that grace one scene. Were those Lalique glass-paneled doors?

I love Basil Rathbone. He made a wonderful Holmes. Too bad the scripts didn't match the performance. But that's another issue. Here he plays a type of Bluebeard who marries women who come into money and then bumps them off. He is a mass of psychoses, depression, and a bad ticker. He goes from being suave and successful, to maudlin and manic. A modern psychologist would have a field day. The tension that builds as he goes through his rant is a little like Jack Nicholson in "The Shining." There's a moment where the bride becomes cognizant of the fact that she is married to a lunatic. And, of course, she had been warned and has married him anyway. Anyway, the last scene where they spar intellectually is delightful and shows both actors at their best. There's a wonderful moment of realization on the young woman's face where she realizes that her life depends on what she says. It is one of the most claustrophobic bits I've ever seen and is very effective in showing that there is just a little tilt to the scales on both sides.

Interesting British-made suspenser - from an Agatha Christie story, no less - which feels quite dated today due to the low budget and a rather slow pace (though the atrocious condition in which it's available doesn't help matters any!), but survives nevertheless by virtue of its excellent leading performances.

I've watched Ann Harding in only a few other films - most notably PETER IBBETSON (1935) - but, even if she has been largely forgotten, here again she proves her standing as one of the unsung actresses of her time. Basil Rathbone relishes his role as the suave murderer and the latter stages of the film allow him to go into all-out hysterics in much the same way (and under the same director!) as he would, memorably, in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939); in fact, the last 15 minutes create a genuinely electrifying tension that are basically the film's raison d'etre.

Rowland V. Lee has perhaps never been a highly regarded film-maker but, from what little I've seen of his work, he was a reasonably efficient craftsman and, given promising material, he always turned in a quality product (the two films of his I would most love to catch up with are the definitive screen version of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO [1934] and TOWER OF London [1939], yet another Rathbone collaboration).

"A Night of Terror," or "Love from a Stranger" from 1937 is based on an Agatha Christie story. A woman, Carol Howard (Ann Harding) wins a huge amount of money in a lottery. She decides to sublet her apartment and go to Europe, first to claim the money in Paris, and then to sightsee. Her fiance doesn't understand, and is unhappy that after working hard for a good job, they're not going to need his salary. They consequently break up.

A man, Gerald Lovell (Basil Rathbone) comes to see the apartment - it's too short a time for him to sublet, but when she and her friend (Binnie Hale) board the ship for Paris, he's on it. Gerald wines and dines Carol, and they are soon married.

They move into the country, where Gerald exhibits some odd mood swings and secretive behavior, which includes making the basement his sacred place where no one is allowed.

On the night before they're due to leave on a long trip, the relationship boils over.

This is a wonderful psychological drama, with very good acting. One of the posts mentioned that the acting was so over the top as to be absurd. For the times, it was excellent acting. Acting style has changed and become much less theatrical over the years. I think it's important (for me anyway) to appreciate films from the perspective of the times in which they were made. Not all performances from those days survive today's critiques. Rathbone and Harding are both excellent.

A year or so before he worked with him for SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, director Rowland V. Lee unleashed a maniacal Basil Rathbone in this unusual thriller that's not really a "good film", but is still pretty interesting and serves up a delicious climax if you can wait it out. Rathbone plays a suave ladies' man who charms his way into the life of a young woman who's just won the lottery. They get married, and only then does the woman realize her husband is not what he seems and may have half his screws loose. If you don't love Basil's insane performance in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, this will probably drive you even crazier; but if, like me, you think he's more fun than a barrel of monkeys when he lets it all hang out, this one is for you. The battle of wits at the end between Ann Harding and Rathbone has got to be seen to be believed! This one's a must if you love Basil Rathbone, and no Rathbone fan should dare miss it. **1/2 out of ****