Murder at Midnight (1931 film)

Murder at Midnight (a.k.a. The Monster Kills^[1]) is a 1931 American pre-Code murder mystery whodunnit directed by Frank R. Strayer.^[2]

Murder at Midnight
Directed by	Frank R. Strayer
Written by	Scott Darling (dialogue) Scott Darling (story) Frank R. Strayer (story)
Produced by	Phil Goldstone (producer)
Starring	Aileen Pringle Alice White Hale Hamilton Brandon Hurst
Cinematography	William Rees
Edited by	John Rawlins
Music by	Val Burton
Distributed by	Tiffany Pictures
Release date	September 1, 1931 (1931-09-01)
Running time	69 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

A murder during a game of charades at a society party leads the police to begin the hunt through the guest-list for a motive and culprit, involving a changed will and booby-trapped telephones. The killer strikes several more times to conceal his or her identity, until all is revealed.

Cast

• Aileen Pringle as Esme Kennedy
• Alice White as Millie Scripps
• Hale Hamilton as Phillip Montrose
• Robert Elliott as Inspector Taylor
• Clara Blandick as Aunt Julia Gray Kennedy
• Brandon Hurst as Lawrence
• Leslie Fenton as Walter Grayson
• William Humphrey as Colton
• Tyrell Davis as The Englishman
• Kenneth Thomson as Jim Kennedy
• Robert Ellis as Duncan Channing

Post production

A film within a film with the same title, Murder at Midnight, and similar plot is featured in The Mirror Crack'd (1980).

Preservation status

• A print is preserved in the Library of Congress collection Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation. A working/alternative title is The Monster Kills.^[3]