Reporter is assigned to investigate the ravings of a woman who says she can prove that the current DA and senatorial candidate was involved in a "suicide many years before. According to the woman it was murder. Complicating matters is the fact the reporter is boyfriend of the DA's daughter. The reporter, his photographer friend, the girl, the DA and several other people all end up on the island where the "mad" woman lives in a creepy mansion. Murder, mayhem and the search for two hundred thousand dollars ensue.

Well written with some witty dialog, this film falters thanks to Fred Brady as the smart mouthed reporter. Looking like Donald O'Connor, but with little of his charm. While the character as written is an interesting guy, suspicious of everyone and everything, he plays he role so low key as to be almost on the ground. He reads his lines as if he's trying to be in a more serious movie and it upsets the whole tone of the some what tongue in cheek movie since he seems to be in a different movie than everyone else. The film also suffers from being too short at 50 odd minutes for its complicated plot. There are a couple of odd twists that would have made more sense if they had actually set them up instead of spring them on us at the required moment.

Not a bad movie, its actually quite enjoyable, especially if you take it completely on its own terms. However if you're not forgiving you'll end up like me, which is liking the movie but wishing it was better. Worth a bag of popcorn if you can ever catch it as part of an all day marathon of old mysteries.

6 out 10 (should probably be 7 out of 10 but I'm disappointed).

This is really bottom-of-the-barrel stuff from Universal and, unbelievable as it may seem, I'm of the opinion that it's even worse than the ultra-maligned SHE-WOLF OF London (1946)!

For one thing, here we get an annoying fast-talking reporter hero (Fred Brady) and a predictable villain (Douglass Dumbrille), whereas fine character actor Paul Kelly is wasted in a thankless role - though Noah Beery Jr. does provide some amusement as a wisecracking photographer. The plot itself is quite confusing (particularly the belated introduction of a foreign-sounding mystic, who's actually no more than a red herring!); besides, it has nothing whatsoever to do with THE CAT CREEPS (1930) - which was actually a remake of THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927) - but does look forward to John Gilling's minor but obviously superior Hammer outing, THE SHADOW OF THE CAT (1961), which I watched (on the big screen!) only a few months ago while in Hollywood.

The film also proved to be director Kenton's last, and undoubtedly least, horror film; he had previously made some enjoyable programmers for the same studio - THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942), HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944) and HOUSE OF Dracula (1945) - and, during the previous decade, helmed one of the more notable outings in the genre, Paramount's ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1933)!

A murder victim's soul never resets until the murderer joins it, says the rather odd Iris Clive, a character who appears out of nowhere when wealthy spinster Vera Lewis suddenly dies, possibly a victim of foul play, and possibly through fright. She's attached to a mysterious black cat, who while not Gale Sondergaard in human form, seems to come to life through the mysterious Clive. The greedy family surrounding the wealthy old lady are all the typical archetypes, some seemingly noble yet secretly sinister, others obviously there with ulterior motives who are obvious red herrings. One by one, some of the suspects get bumped off too, and each time, the all knowing cat is there to provide a mystery to its purpose.

Giving a hint of the style of Val Lewis who was known for his visits to the dark places of the mind that were far more detailed than the standard Gothic horror. This isn't as spooky, but it is clever, filled with shadows and metaphors and ingenious ways of dramatizing its story. Lois Collier plays the fragile heroine, with Jonathan Hale (Dagwood's boss) as her father. Rose Hobart provides the spookiest performance as Lewis's companion who is petrified of cats, and Douglas Dumbrille is the most seemingly nefarious. But among this group, any of them could be guilty, and only the creeping cat knows for sure...until the end.