Secret of the Blue Room

Secret of the Blue Room is very much a B-picture, albeit with better patrimony than most. It was capably directed by Kurt Neumann at the Wellesian age of only 25. Though the final act thankfully slips us a surprise, much of this short feature is either blatantly predictable or challenging to logic, but the viewer — at least this viewer — is held close by the quality cast and the comforting “house style” atmosphere conjured by Stanley Fleischer’s moody art direction and the cinematography of Charles J. Stumar (The Mummy). The closing shot, which suggests a more theatrical experience, is remarkably solemn and effective.