SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM is competently made, with atmosphere to spare, but doesn't particularly stand out from this type of film and this, I guess, is one of the reasons why it isn't well known today. It boasts a fine cast, certainly, but they're not really inspired by the material: Atwill is merely a red herring and isn't even the lead character despite his top billing; Gloria Stuart's role is nothing compared to the one she played in THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932), though she does get to sing in this one!; Paul Lukas is an interesting hero: dapper, mature and sporting a heavy Hungarian accent a' la Bela Lugosi!; Edward Arnold's belated entrance, in my opinion, brings the film to life after a rather slow first half. As for the mystery, well, after the tale told by Atwill about what occurred in the Blue Room all those years ago, one expects an explanation by the film's end but this aspect is never properly resolved (nor is the business about the stranger who breaks into the mansion): instead, we get a 'twist' ending which had actually occurred to me as I lay watching the film but had subsequently dismissed as being too obvious! All in all, apart from some stilted dialogue (courtesy of William Hurlbut, who lated wrote BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN [1935]!), SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM is a very entertaining little film which could have been more interestingly developed - but the main thing here is watching these wonderful actors and the Universal house-style in action.