The Ghost Camera – 1933 | 67 mins | Thriller | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Gripping Bernard Vorhaus quota-quickie thriller based on a story by the author of Alfred Hitchcock’s Number Seventeen (1932); Joseph Jefferson Farjeon. Vorhaus’ skewed camera shots are perfectly complement by a young David Lean’s fast editing, and in keeping with the youthful element John Mills and a 15-year-old Ida Lupino co-star.

When a photograph is taken at the scene of a murder, the camera is tossed out of a castle window to destroy the evidence; luckily it manages to land in the back of a passing car belonging to genial chemist John Gray (Henry Kendall). Gray turns amateur sleuth after developing the film and goes in search of the woman, Mary Elton (Ida Lupino), captured by the photograph. When the camera is stolen from his laboratory, Gray’s suspicions are further aroused.

When he finally tracks down Mary, she reveals that her brother Ernest (John Mills) is the owner of the camera and has only recently mysteriously gone missing. Scotland Yard are also searching for Ernest in connection with a jewel robbery, so Mary joins forces with Gray to use the locations caught by the camera to discover her brother’s whereabouts. Together they comb the countryside, staying overnight at The Lion public house, where the landlord illuminates Gray to the fact that Mary is withholding the truth from him – she knows the castle ruins pictured are Norman Arches. When they reach the castle ruins they uncover evidence of a murder – and Ernest is the chief suspect. The police finally capture Ernest and he consequently stands trial charged with murder. To clear Ernest’s name evidence of the stolen camera must be recovered and Gray put himself in danger of his life.