Commencing To-morrow

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 173, 23 July 1929, Page 11

Commencing To-morrow

The lure of the mysterious—the fascination of the unknown —and the love of the world to solve crime problems—all of these partly explain the unprecedented popularity of Universal’s mystery-picture. 14 The Last

Warning” which commences its Wanganui season at a matinee at the Regent Theatre to-morrow afternoon, with Laura La Plante as the lead. ‘‘The Last Warning” by Thomas F. Fallon was one of the most successful mystery plays ever to be seen on Broadway. It was staged from the book, ‘‘The House of Fear,” by Wadsworth Camp. The motion picture was based on the play. All the ingredients of mystery have been jammed into the photoplay. Mystery and terror which bring forth screams from the audience and laughter—not the laughter that a farce comedy produces but the almost hysterical laughter of highly keyed nerves stimulated by relief from a fearful situation. The story is set in a theatre —a show house which has been closed ever since the murder and disappearance of the body of the star in the midst of a performance. After five years the spooky old theatre is reopened for rehearsals of the original fatal play, with the same east which had formerly enacted it. Then strange things happen as the ghost of the dead star begins to walk and warns the players against reenacting the play. The last warning, from which the picture gets its title, is given just before the big gala opening. The play goes on, but with startling results.