The Thirteenth Guest (1932)

Remember when I wrote this two years ago? Well, late last night I finally revisited The Thirteenth Guest, something I'd been meaning to do for a long time, but I've been distracted by other movies. Since I've already written out the plot in the previous review, I won't dwell on that. I'll just move on to what I thought of the film.

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I liked it. I mean, it isn't a favorite, but it's certainly enjoyable under the proper circumstances. For one thing, I've found that if you've got a headache and the DVD player is connected to surround sound, you'll get an even worse headache. Last night, though, I was watching it on the little TV with built-in speakers that's taken up residence in my room, and the fuzzy sound didn't bother me as much.

I also think the movie is more interesting late at night than in the middle of the day. The Thirteenth Guest isn't really scary, but it is more interesting at night. It takes something much more frightening to really scare me. I'm talking about tough stuff, here. Like The Martha Stewart Show and Bridezillas. Now there's horror for you. *shudder*

Anyway, I think my headache really messed with my opinion of this one when I first saw it. Not that I consider it high art now, but it's not as terrible as I thought or wrote at the time. I can definitely see myself watching it again in another year or so. It's not perfect, but somehow that adds to its charm, and the actors are fun to watch. Lyle Talbot, Ginger Rogers, and J. Farrell McDonald are entertaining, even if they don't give Oscar-worthy performances.

I'll leave you with a couple of cute Ginger screen-caps - both stolen from this post at VKMfan's blog, Gingerology . All Ginger! All the Time! Thanks, Huey. And, everyone else, please remember to keep him and his town in your prayers (read more here).