Murder by the Clock is a dull who-done-it murder film. With a really thin story and dead-end acting. The story is about an old woman that passes on. She is buried in a tomb with an alarm system that would go off if she were buried alive. A group of distant relatives gather at her estate for the will to be read and to collect their inheritance. However, before the Will can be read people begin dying of strangulation. They must survive to get their inheritance right!? Who is running around killing the other family members? The mentally unstable guy that has an obsession with strangling people and killing? Is it the black widow femme fatale?
The movie feels like it lasts much longer than it actually does. It only runs for an hour and fifteen minuets, but it feels like it runs for well over the two hour mark. Most parts of the story feel forced and contrived. Others are neat and well done. Lilyan Tashman did a great job of playing the Queen Bee pulling all of the strings of the relatives around her. She just couldn't carry the film all on her own.
"You are either a genius or a murder - I find that your both!"
- This was produced a few years before 1931. However, it went through different hands until it was finally released.
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