Review by Snow Leopard

Although it frequently gives evidence of its low-budget status, this is still a decent adaptation of the Wilkie Collins novel. The original novel "The Moonstone" makes pretty good use of some generally familiar themes of the genre, with its main strength probably being the atmosphere. This movie version does a solid job with limited resources in setting the atmosphere and in telling the basic story developments.

David Manners and Phyllis Barry head up the cast, as a group of characters come together in a remote mansion on a stormy night, with a legendary and very valuable diamond the focus of everyone's attention. It's a familiar setup, but the story adds some touches of science and some extra background to the characters, to go along with the mood and the setting.

The cast and the production are usually solid, if unspectacular, and most of the time things move at a good pace. A larger budget could have made the movie more enjoyable to watch, but as far as the basic story goes, this one does a solid job, and for its time it's a pretty good job.