Darkened Rooms

Phony spiritualists were given a good going-over in the early talkie melodrama Darkened Rooms. Evelyn Brent stars as Ellen, a fraudulent medium working in cahoots with genuine clairvoyant Emory Jago (Neil Hamilton). The plotline is secondary; the film's main purpose was to emulate the methods of such professional "de-bunkers" as Mrs. Harry Houdini by exposing the various tricks of the spiritualist's trade.

Directed by Louis J. Gasnier, Darkened Rooms leans on a strong ensemble — Evelyn Brent, Neil Hamilton, Doris Hill — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about mystery titles of 1929.