Richard Chatten Based on a 1907 Broadway hit by Augustus Thomas previously filmed in 1916 and 1921 and here unobtrusively set in the original period, 'The Witching Hour' is an interesting hybrid of pre-Code crime film and silent romantic fantasy by the director of 'Peter Ibbetson' and 'True Grit' combining courtroom drama with a smiling Victorian ghost straight out of 'Smilin' Thru'.John Halliday is as usual excellent as the owner of a gambling den always one step ahead of the law with the aid of involuntary telepathic ability; and there's an unusual flashback in which the narrator tells us what he remembered while what we are shown is what actually happened.

MartinHafer Provided you understand that what happens is impossible AND you can suspend disbelief, then you'll enjoy the film. All I know is that with all the training I've had in hypnotherapy, I would sure use these powers for evil if they worked like they did in the movie!!Jack Brookfield (John Halliday) has an amazing ability to read people's thoughts and also has a very strong and forceful personality. Without realizing it, he hypnotizes a young man and Brookfield's hatred of another man gets the hypnotized guy to commit murder to please Brookfield! It's a bit odd...and the second half is all about the court case which follows.The film is very original and interesting. Just understand that you cannot project your thoughts onto others to get them to kill...believe me, I have tried!

kidboots "The Witching Hour" by Augustus Thomas had first wowed Broadway audiences in 1907 with it's sensational mix of murder, hypnotism and mental telepathy. It had a respectable run of 212 performances. It was filmed in 1916 and was successful enough for Paramount to re-make it in 1921 with William Desmond Taylor directing. Paramount were impressed enough to re-make it again in 1934 (even though it's origins were beginning to wear a bit thin) but a young Henry Hathaway was able to give it a bit of zest. John Halliday, in my opinion, was probably one of the most under-rated actors of the early thirties. He played lawyers, men about town and even psychopathic killers with the same urbane and witty charm and many a movie has been turned from a bore to a piece of sophistication just by having Halliday in the cast.Jack Brookfield (John Halliday) is a clairvoyant who uses his hypnotic powers to see his gambling house runs smoothly and that the police are always thwarted whenever they make surprise raids. He is having his rooms re-decorated by a young architect Clay Thorne (Tom Brown), who is also engaged to Jack's daughter (Judith Allen). He has never used his mental telepathy for anything bad - he never gambles etc, he is not even sure how he can foresee all these things but when Clay confesses in hysteria that he has always been frightened of cats-eyes (Jack has a strange ring that catches Clay's eye) events collide to land Clay in court fighting for his life.Frank Hardmuth (Ralfe Harold) is a disgruntled patron who has been turned away from the gambling den and in spite has called the police. The next day Clay is arrested for Hardmuth's murder but he has no idea how it happened. Unbeknownst to everyone Clay was hypnotised when he gazed at the ring and when Jack muttered to Frank that "someone will go to your office and shoot you right between the eyes" - Clay acted on command. The rest of the film is a court room drama, as a believing old lawyer (Sir Guy Standing) tries to convince the skeptical jury (William Frawley, from "I Love Lucy", 20 years earlier and he still looks the same age) that hypnotism does exist. I thought, like the other reviewers, that it is a movie well worth watching. I also think the period setting helps to keep it believable. Gertrude Michael had a nice cameo as the ghost of the lawyer's lost love, Margaret Price.Highly Recommended.

dbdumonteil One of the early Hathaway movies,and for the time something very unusual which predates both Lewton/Robson productions as well as Hathaway's own "Peter Ibbetson" .It's a very short film (65 minutes) and it includes romanticism,clandestine gambling,murder,hypnotism and a mysterious ring which even mesmerizes the audience.The whole story is wrapped in mystery and all that concerns the old retired lawyer is a Peter Ibbetson in miniature with visions of a love of long ago and an ending both poetic and supernatural.This may be the only movie where someone commits the famous perfect crime ,even if the hero(es) did not want to kill.Hathaway also anticipates the great psychoanalytical works of the forties (Lang ,Tourneur,Siodmak,Hitchcock).Hathaway was always underrated and so were his movies:"Gunga Din" imitated "lives of a Bengal Lancer" and got more praises than the Cooper/Tone adventure which is ,IMHO,far superior.And "kiss of death" must be considered one of the best films noirs of the forties.Put "the witching hour" on your must-see list.