The Thirteenth Chair (1937)

Starring Dame May Whitty, Madge Evans, Lewis Stone, Elissa Landi, Thomas Beck
Directed by George B. Seitz
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After a man is murdered, a police inspector reluctantly agrees to a plan by one of his friends to expose the murderer by inviting the suspects to a seance.

The third filmed version of a stage play by Bayard Veiller, this production brings together a cast featuring several of MGM's contract players, as well as Dame May Whitty, probably best known from her role in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes.  Whitty gives a good performance, and it's interesting to see Henry Daniell in one of his earlier roles, but overall it's not that compelling a mystery, save for a unique twist in the hiding of the murder weapon.  In an interesting side note, Holmes Herbert plays the same role he played in the 1929 filming of the play.  For more on the 1929 version, see Dan Day Jr.'s informative post here.

Gaslight (1944)

Starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, Dame May Whitty, Angela Lansbury
Directed by George Cukor
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

In 19th century London, a young woman returns to her murdered aunt's home to make a new life with her husband, unaware he has diabolical plans to drive her slowly insane. 

A fine dramatic chiller, with Boyer and Bergman both excellent in memorable roles, this picture builds its suspense mainly through dialogue and performance, but also has excellent production values, recreating the gaslit city squares of London, earning both Bergman and the film's art direction Oscars, according to IMDB.  Although the plotline would soon become a tired retread over the years in weak psychological dramas, it's certainly fresh here, but would have been a lesser film without its stars and accomplished director Cukor.