The Death Kiss (DVD)

Reuniting three of the stars of Universal's Dracula (released the previous year), this low-budget production was, on the surface, a blatant attempt to capitalize on a major Hollywood hit. But THE DEATH KISS is anything but a cheap knock-off. A Pre-Code murder mystery that plays out on the sound stages, screening rooms, and dressing rooms of the fictitious Tonart Studios, the film offers modern viewers a precious glimpse at the workings of a Poverty Row studio during the Great Depression. Bela Lugosi stars as the head of a struggling studio, who tries to contain a scandal after an actor is killed during the making of a film. While the police investigate the deepening mysteries within the studio, a quick-witted screen- writer (DavidManners) decides to solve the crime himself, in order to clear the picture's leading lady(AdrienneAmes) from suspicion.