Unlike almost all other Hitchcock productions, this was a B horror film, not a murder mystery, that was entirely predictable, and had a barely developed plot with no twist and very little writing. They should have cut some scenes, and spent more time developing the last third of the chain of events.
It was very cool to see Christopher Lee as an intense young man, though, and see the old Hollywood filming warehouses and lots. What Lee was given to do, he did well; but there was scarcely a story to work with, and no subtlety at all in the story line. The films within the film were the most fun, I thought.
What this really needed was wisecracking Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, after midnight. That would've just been perfect. I'd like to see this run in an old B scary film fest on Halloween. In an old house. In Salem or Transylvania.
A few moments were amusing: people are drinking and smoking virtually nonstop throughout the film, and then somebody wants to take a break and says, "Let's have a drink!" And of course, Hitchcock was witty himself.
With Gina Scala and Gilbert Green.