The Black Raven (1943)

George Zucco ("Bradford") owns a remote inn that one stormy night finds itself home to a quite a few unscheduled guests - a runaway couple and a disgruntled bank clerk making off to Canada with the day's takings. The arrival of the absconding girl's father - who happens to be a judge, brings Zucco's criminal alter ego "The Black Raven" into play and what now ensues is a gently paced cat and mouse thriller that sees each resident hope to get their hand on the loot - oh, and to manage to stay alive. The score imbues this with a certain mischievous jollity, and the constant storm raging outside gives what is essentially a pretty stage-bound enterprise just a little bit of extra menace. At just over the hour, it packs quite a lot in - there are plenty of suspects, and much of the film is spent presenting us with a whole load of red herring scenarios that tell us little, but keep it all moving along nicely. Who did what to whom? Well, that doesn't really matter - it's just a bit of fun!