The Phantom Of Crestwood (1932)

Starring Ricardo Cortez, Karen Morley, Anita Louise, Pauline Frederick, H.B. Warner
Directed by J. Walter Ruben
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After a gold-digging woman reveals to her paramours at a dinner party that she is blackmailing them, she ends up murdered, and a criminal at the site takes it upon himself to solve the crime. 

An entertaining old dark house mystery from RKO during the era of David O. Selznick and Merian C. Cooper, the picture is well-written and directed, and opened after a publicity campaign run by NBC radio for listeners to create their own endings to the story.  As far I know none of those endings was used for the film, but nevertheless it's really a compelling story, and Morley is excellent as the ill-fated but cool and confident Jenny Wren, ready to retire to the continent by blackmailing the men who had illicit affairs with her.  After her death, when Cortez and his men, who were aiming to steal some incriminating letters from Wren, are marooned at the site of the party by an avalanche, Cortez takes charge in a unique twist, aiming to find the real killer so he won't be blamed.  Of course there are secret passages inside the house, stormy weather, and the appearance of a would-be ghost, along with plenty of character turns from the likes of H.B. Warner, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, and Gavin Gordon.   The photography by Henry Gerrard finely captures the ghostly face the characters encounter, and some process shots of individuals falling to their deaths are very sharp and convincing.  I don't know if the revelation of the murderer is as clever as the setup, but it's a fine mystery, and certainly worth your time.

The Mask Of Fu Manchu (1932)

Starring Boris Karloff, Lewis Stone, Karen Morley, Charles Starrett, Myrna Loy
Directed by Charles Brabin
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The discovery of the tomb of Genghis Khan sets off a race between a British archaeologist and the nefarious Dr. Fu Manchu to claim its prizes, but the evil doctor has operatives everywhere.

Boris Karloff's performance is a highlight of this version of one of Sax Rohmer's stories of the famed master criminal, as the actor's mirthful expressions while torturing his victims make for a very memorable characterization.  Among the other cast, Myrna Loy as Fu Manchu's daughter, who has her own designs on Fu's male captives, is certainly striking, while Karen Morley is a bit grating as the archaeologist's daughter who routinely plunges into hysterics.  Although Wikipedia indicates the film was controversial upon its release for depicting the Chinese villains with broad strokes, it seems tame today, except for a few bits of dialogue.  However, the best reason to watch the film is for its absolutely stunning production design and art direction, delivering visuals which feature terrifying golden figures guarding Khan's burial chamber, intricately designed death traps within Fu Manchu's lair, and a destructive device which shoots out bolts of electricity that figures prominently in the climax.