Eureka Blu-ray Film Review

The Last Warning (1928) • Blu-ray [Eureka! Masters of Cinema]

A producer reopens a theatre closed after one of the actors was murdered during a performance, by staging a production of the same play.

The Last Warning sits at a pivotal point in Hollywood history. It marks the end of an era and richly deserves this new Blu-ray restoration from Eureka Entertainment, as a part of their rapidly growing ‘Masters of Cinema’ imprint. It’s visually interesting and, for a silent film with a relatively simple story, a surprisingly enjoyable viewing. Though it’ll appeal mostly to film buffs and horror fans with an interest in the roots of the genre.

It feels as if we should be discussing this as an early film in the long career of a hugely influential director. Instead, it turned out to be Paul Leni’s final film as, less than a year later, his promising career was cut short by premature death. It also signifies a momentous ‘hand-over’ of power from one of the original movie moguls and Universal City founder, Carl Laemmle, to his son.