VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Tacticalin An absolute waste of money

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

MartinHafer "Murder by the Clock" is an early murder mystery and it has a lot going for it. Unfortunately, it seems to have just about as much going against it and I see it as a movie only worth seeing if you have nothing better to do!When the story begins, you learn that a nasty old lady is trying to figure out which person to leave her fortune to--and one is an obviously psychotic and mentally challenged guy. But leaving the money to a different relative is NOT a good choice either, as the man and his conniving wife, Laura, plan on murdering the old lady. Once this occurs, it's like a bag of potato chips...and Laura manipulates the men around her to keep killing to ensure she'll be rich AND avoid jail.The problems with the film mostly boil down to subtlety....or the lack of it. Laura (Lilyan Tashman) is so obviously manipulative and evil that she's practically a cartoon character (like Snidely Whiplash, perhaps). And, because she's so obvious and transparent, seeing men throwing their lives away for this not super attractive and nasty lady just didn't make any sense. The other problem was that the film went on too long...and relied too much on filler. Cutting a bit of it AND making Laura more believably evil would have improved this one significantly.

kevin olzak 1931's "Murder by the Clock" has remained a forgotten horror from the early 30s, but not by such eminent film historians like William K. Everson, who dutifully included it in his 1974 book CLASSICS OF THE HORROR FILM. Had it been made at Universal, no doubt it would be as well remembered as "Dracula" (which preceded it) or "Frankenstein" (which followed it), but Paramount did their share of terror classics too ("Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," "Island of Lost Souls," "Murders in the Zoo"). The sultry and seductive Lilyan Tashman (Mrs. Edmund Lowe) epitomizes what the word 'vampire' meant to audiences prior to Lugosi, a huge star going back nearly ten years, whose life would sadly end from cancer just three years after she made this. Irving Pichel, as the halfwit son with the strength of a bull, preferred working behind the camera rather than in front of it; nevertheless, as an actor, only his memorable work opposite Gloria Holden in "Dracula's Daughter" can compare with his macabre characterization here. Comic relief is supplied by Sally O'Neil's maid and Regis Toomey's Oirish cop (she co-starred with young Lon Chaney in 1933's "Sixteen Fathoms Deep," while Toomey's next film would see him co-starring with Boris Karloff in Universal's "Graft"). No, Paramount rarely dabbled in horror during the 30s, yet there wasn't a single dud among them.

dbborroughs Creaky murder mystery about the unnatural death of the matriarch of a family and the attempt of the heirs to stay out of jail. A rather complex tale the film demands attention because so much is going on. Full of over ripe performances this is the sort of movie that they don't do any more. Its perfect late night viewing especially with the great sets of the manor house , grave yard, secret passages and other strange things, this is a film that takes you to a dark and creaky place. That said I don't think the film is anything other than good. As I said the over ripeness of it kind of diminishes the quality, but at the same time its got mood to burn. Worth a look for a dark and stormy late night.

kidboots This is a superb horror/thriller that soaked up the atmosphere from the new cycle of eerie and atmospheric horror films that were taking the movie public by storm. The stars were Lilyan Tashman in a sleek "Lady Macbeth" type role and William "Stage" Boyd as Lt. Valcour.Julia Endicott (Blanche Frederici), Miss Roberts (Martha Mattox) and Julia's imbecile son Phillip (Irving Pichel) come to pay their respects to Phillip's father in a magnificent family crypt. Visually it is very impressive, along with Karl Struss' superb camera work. Julia has a fear of being buried alive, so she has had a horn installed that is heard throughout the movie whenever a murder is about to take place. Irving Pichel is wonderful as the scary and menacing Phillip.Herbert Endicott (Walter McGrail) is on a visit to his aunt but in the cab he is being grilled by Laura,(Lilyan Tashman) his wife, who wants him to claim his inheritance. Julia decides to leave all her money to Herbert and not Phillip - but Herbert and Laura must live in the house as one of the conditions of the will. Once they are installed in the house Julia is murdered and Phillip, with his obsesssion with knives and death by strangulation is instantly arrested. Lt. Valcour (William "Stage" Boyd) is not convinced - he thinks more attention should be given to Mr. and Mrs. Endicott. At the funeral Valcour sees Laura holding hands with Jimmy, her lover (Lester Vail) and knows he is on the right track.Herbert, who is the real murderer, is stricken with conscience and wants to go to the police. Laura then pays a visit to Philip - getting him all hot and bothered - and proposes that if she were only free, they, (Laura and Phillip) could live happily in the old house together. Suddenly there is an escaped lunatic at large!!! She has also whispered in the ear of Jimmy as well. When Herbert turns up strangled - who is the killer???? The murderous and gleeful gleam in Tashman's face when her scheme comes together is wonderful to see.There is a romantic subplot involving Regis Toomey as a young policeman and Sally O'Neal as the maid but it is never allowed to get in the way of the main story. Being a pre-code horror things don't go always to plan - you may be surprised at the end result. The ending was very similar to "The Maltese Falcon", which preceded it into cinemas by a few months.Highly Recommended.