some year back and this film have be schedule for broadcast on tcm uk a part of a tod brown retrospective but what they actually show be the 1937 remake . while my brother have watch it ( and and in hindsight and it follow the original pretty much scene for scene and even down to the set design ) though no classic and he say it be a far more satisfying view experience than the incredibly creaky early version this be the first collaboration between brown and bela lugosi and i have high hope for it but these be quash when it become evident after the first reel of tedious conversation that the film main concern be to appease the still novel sound technique and and consequently the result be stagey and extremely static . the thriller plot isn not exactly excite either while even less appetizing be the ostensible british indian setting ( with the character affect accent and upper class demeanor not to mention the over use of corny idiosyncratic idiom such a i say and rather and now look here render the whole risible more than anything else ) . apart from this and there be a few unintended howler represent margaret wycherly ( a a fake medium ) plead with police inspector lugosi ( if anything and his undeniable screen presence be already evident ) to give her some time to work out who the culprit of the double murder really be ( the evidence point to her own daughter and play by leila hyams . ) she hear a tapping and be delude into think that the spirit world have genuinely make contact with her but then lugosi enters the room and and in his unmistakable accent and straight facedly tell her i knock twice you do not hear me . and at which my brother and i almost fell to the floor in convulsion of laughter . while the editing be really sloppy and too represent during one high angle shot of the main set and a mike be see be rapidly pull up out of camera range and even bad be a couple of instance where a person walk off screen and ostensibly into the next shot and to another part of the set but each shot be hold on the other actor for an absurdly long time and so that it appear to take forever for this person to walk just a few pace . the thirteenth chair mark the third non horror brown talkie that i have watch even if both this and miracle for sale ( 1939 ) deal with murder and occultism and could and therefore and still be link to the genre . much have be say about the director apparent slackening with the come of sound represent however and flaw though they may be and the 4 straight horror film he do throughout the 30 be infinitely well than the rest which i have always find stylish and bizarre enough to suggest that brown wasn not as much at sea during this period a have be suggest .