''Midnight Faces'' (1926) is a

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

starring Francis X. Bushman, Jr. and

Jack Perrin Jack Perrin (born Lyman Wakefield Perrin; July 25, 1896 – December 17, 1967) was an American actor specializing in Westerns. Early life Perrin was born in Three Rivers, Michigan. His father worked in real estate and relocated the family ...

. The film is an 'old dark house' murder mystery in the same genre as '' One Exciting Night'' (1922), '' The Ghost Breaker'' (1922), '' The Bat'' (1926) and '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1927). Critic Christopher Workman called it "a thoroughly unmemorable entry in the run of old dark house horror comedies" handled with an "absence of style, atmosphere and wit ... Even at less than an hour, the film drags interminably." Conversely,

Jonathan Rigby Jonathan Rigby is an English actor and film historian who has written several books. ''Video Watchdog'' magazine described him as occupying "a proud place in the advance guard of film researchers, writers and critics," and in 2020 he was inducted ...

, in his book ''American Gothic'', noted that the film "works some interesting variations on the standard clichés" and that "as rip-offs go, ''Midnight Faces'' is unusually engaging and intelligent."Jonathan Rigby, ''American Gothic: Six Decades of Classic Horror Cinema'', Signum Books 2017 (revised edition), p.51.

Cast

Ralph Bushman Ralph Everly Bushman (1903 – 1978), was an American actor. He appeared in 55 films between 1920 and 1943. In his early film career, he often was credited as Francis X. Bushman Jr. The son of notable silent film star Francis X. Bushman and ...

- Lynn Claymore (credited as Francis X. Bushman Jr.) *

- Richard Mason, the lawyer *

Kathryn McGuire Kathryn McGuire (December 6, 1903 – October 10, 1978) was an American dancer and actress. Early life Born in Peoria, Illinois, McGuire was said to be recognized by critics and fans alike as one of the rising stars in film. Selected one of ...

- Mary Bronson * Edward Peil, Sr. - Suie Chang, the Chinese stranger * Charles Belcher - Samuel Lund *

Nora Cecil Nora Cecil (September 26, 1878 – May 1, 1951) was an English-born American actress whose 30-year career spanned both the silent and sound film eras. Career Stage Cecil's career began on the stage, when she debuted in London at age 19 ...

- Mrs. Lund *Martin Turner - Trohelius Snapp, the black servant

Plot

Lynn Claymore inherits an estate in a Florida swamp from an uncle he never knew. His lawyer Richard Mason accompanies him to the property. A strange Chinese man is seen wandering the grounds at night, and a man in a cape is spotted skulking down the corridors by Claymore's clichéd "fraidy-cat" black manservant Trohelius. Then a young woman named Mary Bronson shows up, asking to be allowed in to escape an assailant with a knife who she says was stalking her.

References

External links

''Midnight Faces'' at IMDBAllMovie synopsisMidnight Faces
at Youtube.com 1926 films American silent feature films 1926 mystery films American black-and-white films Films directed by Bennett Cohen American mystery films 1920s American films Silent mystery films 1920s English-language films {{mystery-film-stub