it an agreeable surprise to find charley grapewin bill a the star of this fun and thrill fill old dark house escapade . while it possible to pick hole in the ingenious plot and the dialogue and the direction and even the cinematography and you can not argue with the central idea and the pacing and the superior production value ( for a poverty row effort ) or the obvious enthusiasm of player and technician to make a movie that always most enjoyable to watch and listen to and despite the obvious limitation of a b budget offering and set within the none too lavishly appoint confines of the old mack sennett studio in north hollywood . all thing consider and mac dagostino set be delightfully eye catch . i love the trophy room . the picture start off most promisingly on the right foot with an ingenious credit sequence improvise and direct by joseph h. lewis . the movie then quickly get down to familiar but nonetheless please business a the camera focus on charley grapewin and who quickly and cleverly explains to his assembled relative what nice round figure each will realize from his $ 6 million will and provide of course that his long lost grand daughter doesn not turn up before the clock strike twelve . needless to say and she doesin the person of lovely evalyn knappor do she . a expect and the mystery and horror element ( the phantom himself or herself isn not all that frighten and but there a sequence in the trophy room that bound to raise goose bump ) jostle for attention with some smart repartee and even a bit of knockabout . but even that be well do .