While some stories are inherently light on innovation, they nonetheless prove to be popular with creatives when it comes time to make a feature film. The horror genre in particular is one that often repurposes material and tries to squeeze fresh life out of a prior concept. If you are a student of horror films from the Golden Age of Hollywood, your ears might perk up at the mention of The Secret Of The Blue Room, but first you would need some clarification. Are we talking about the German version that originated the story from 1932? Of course not! Americans want their thrills without reading subtitles, so the very next year the film was made again at Universal with two more versions of the story coming about in the next decade or so, The Missing Guest and Murder In The Blue Room. The 1933 pre-Code American version is the best known, bringing about a spooky atmosphere on a minuscule budget with some notable performers. The film is not without its flaws, but for the most part it brings about some mysterious fun that keeps you guessing.
Fans of Universal horror films will experience a sense of deja vu upon hearing the opening notes of this thriller from director Kurt Neumann; the swan theme from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake sets up an eerie mood just as it did in Dracula a couple of years prior. The film begins with an odd little scene in which the young Irene von Helldorf (Gloria Stuart, Titanic, The Kiss Before The Mirror) is celebrating her 21st birthday with her father, Robert (Lionel Atwill, Doctor X), and three suitors, Captain Walter Brink (Paul Lukas, The Lady Vanishes), newspaper reporter Frank Faber (Onslow Stevens, Them!), and Tommy (William Janney, The World Changes), the youngest. Discussion turns to unsolved murders that happened on the premises twenty years prior, eventually leading to a challenge to prove bravery amongst the suitors by each of them agreeing to stay the night in the “haunted” blue room. After an awkward series of kisses for all the men, including a too-long one for dear old dad, young Tommy takes the first night not knowing he will actually be the first victim in a series of strange events. Could this room actually be haunted? And is the promise of an “in her prime” Gloria Stuart enough to chance death? Tune in to find out!
Despite some evidence that this feature was padded slightly with unnecessary moments to amount to a feature length, this story is pretty effective in its execution. The 66-minute runtime is just long enough to establish how far these men will go for a young beauty, conjure up some uncertainty over supernatural involvement, launch an investigation and hastily wrap up everything in a nice bow. The elements relegating Irene to a prize for these men is painfully dated, but the disappearances and buried family drama provide some decent twists and turns. None of it would work as well as it does without the strong performances from the ensemble. Stuart makes the most of her two-dimensional role, and Atwill and Lukas provide some gravitas that makes the film feel more substantial. Genuine chills are sporadic, but the mystery keeps you intrigued until you reach the convoluted ending that is not nearly as satisfying as the movie wants you to think it is. There are some admirable flourishes included in the execution of this tale that makes it stand out in a sea of low-rent fare even if it does not prove to be the gold standard.
Video Quality
The Secret Of The Blue Room makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p master from a 2K scan. For a film that is pushing 90 years old, this is a truly spectacular presentation. The gorgeous black-and-white photography shot by Charles Stumar shines in high definition with natural grain intact. There is a pleasing amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and within the production design. The new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Black levels are very deep with no overwhelming occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and the track only experiences a minor amount of flicker and specks of damage throughout. There are also some stray, faint vertical lines that make a quick appearance without ruining the overall aesthetic of the film. The stock footage that has been repurposed from previous versions of the story holds up the worst, but these moments are brief. Kino Classics has done some really great work here.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a solid DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie incredibly well considering its place in early sound recording. Dialogue and background noises are represented in perfect harmony with all competing elements. This track does present with a minor amount of age related wear and tear including some faint hissing and crackles that likely date back to the source elements. The music from Heinz Letton never overpowers the dialogue or other important information, but it does sound a little fragile at its highest peaks. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. The good folks at Kino Classics have done their best to provide the most stable track possible for this one.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Filmmaker/Historian Michael Schlesinger delivers an informative and occasionally (lovingly) snarky track in which he discusses the erroneous marketing of this as a horror film, the careers of those involved with the production, the way in which stock footage was utilized from previous version of the tale, the ways in which this picture has aged poorly, and much more that makes for an entertaining listen.
- Trailers: There are trailers provided for Supernatural, Death Takes A Holiday, The Spider Woman Strikes Back, The Mad Doctor and The Spiral Staircase.
Final Thoughts
The Secret Of The Blue Room is an admirable chiller that stands out more for its talented group of performers more than any innovations with the storytelling. The mystery of the film is strong enough to keep you invested until the very end, but the reveals do not quite stick the landing. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray featuring a lovely A/V presentation and an entertaining commentary track. While not quite a horror film in the traditional sense, this one is atmospheric enough to garner a bit of suspense in the viewer. Recommended
The Secret Of The Blue Room is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
