The Scarab Murder Case

Philo Vance returns to solve another polished puzzle, this time set inside a circle of well dressed suspects drawn into a web of motive and misdirection. The Scarab Murder Case promises the same precision of deduction that fans expect, letting the detective pick apart clues, motives, and alibis with cool wit and careful narration. As the investigation unfolds, conversations bite with irony and restraint while the tension builds through subtle changes of fortune and opportunity. The film is identified as a Lost Movie, meaning no known prints survive and the exact on screen appearance remains a mystery to scholars and fans alike. Set against a sleek era ambience, the story relies on sharp dialogue and meticulous framing rather than explosive action, heightening the puzzle's allure.

Directed by Michael Hankinson, this 1936 mystery leans on the Philo Vance concept created by Selwyn Jepson. Starring Wilfrid Hyde-White as Vance, the film sits among early screen detective adaptations that vanished from studios before long, a product of the era's theatrical sensibilities and the appetite for clever routines.

Box office figures for this lost production aren't documented, and today the film is treated as a missing treasure from a bygone era. With no prints available, worldwide gross and venue counts remain unknown, and archival notices are sparse, leaving financials unrevealed.

No major awards are on record for The Scarab Murder Case. The film's lost status and limited historical footprint mean it did not secure high profile nominations, a fate shared by many mid 1930s mystery titles that disappeared from archives, frustrating researchers.

Reception at the time is hard to verify, but the title sits in the tradition of dialogue driven whodunits from the 1930s. Expect themes of deduction, social masks, and the tension between appearances and truth, all filtered through a classic detective framework.