bnwfilmbuff Chan is apparently summoned to the castle by the lady of the house, Lenita Lane, who in her message says that she fears for her life following the poisoning of visitor Lucian Littlefield. Her husband (Douglass Dumbrille), who is an eccentric recluse spending his time researching 16th century history and the Borgias specifically, is suspicious of all visitors. There's a rogue's gallery in the household: Henry Danielle as a sculptor there to do the lady's bust; Steven Geray as the family doctor, Edmond McDonald as the family lawyer and his wife Arleen Whelan; and Richard Derr a history professor at a college bearing the family name. As if that's not enough characters for a 62 minute movie, Milton Parsons pops in as a PI to investigate the poisoning and Ethel Griffies as the local fortune teller joins the party with the insufferable Victor Sen Yung, who like pepper, a little goes a long way. There's a fairly complex plot that develops which is difficult to follow with the annoying antics of Yung. Even with his carrying on, the rest of this strong cast manages to stay on script and provide a very good atmospheric mystery. Sidney Toler as Chan is exceptional, remaining skeptical of the common belief among the house that Lane, also a descendant of the Borgia family, is a poisoning murderess. I wanted to rate this higher but Yung's nonsense held me back. Still, this is a decent feature in the series and recommended.

gridoon2018 "Castle In The Desert" apparently holds a special place in the hearts of many Charlie Chan fans, because it was the last film in the series to be produced by 20th Century Fox, before Monogram took over (this is better-produced than Monogram, yes, but it is still unmistakably a B-movie). There is absolutely nothing special about it directing-wise (there is little atmosphere or invention), but it does have a good plot (it's like a Chinese box: the real mystery is hidden inside another mystery) and a particularly smart and subtle clue about the identity of the murderer early on - see if you can spot it. My favorite Chan line (paraphrased from Shakespeare!): "Man who fears death die a thousand times". **1/2 out of 4.

csteidler Lucy Manderley makes a brusque announcement: "Two things we never discuss in this house—my family and Paul's accident." –Her husband Paul wears a mask that covers half of his face; Lucy herself is descended from the Borgias of Renaissance Italy, renowned for power and poison. "This house" is the Manderley estate, a lonely medieval-style castle stuck out in the desert.Charlie Chan is on hand at said estate—but the urgent invitation he answered was apparently a fake. Has Mr. Chan been summoned to witness a murder or provide an alibi? Sidney Toler is steady as always as he attempts to find out. Eerie music, dimly lit castle sets and some good shadowy camera work create an appropriately spooky atmosphere for this fairly standard but highly enjoyable Chan mystery. Among the entertaining cast on hand at the old dark castle are Douglass Dumbrille as the odd Mr. Manderley and Lenita Lane as his nervous wife; Henry Daniell as mysterious sculptor Watson King; and Ethel Griffies as Madame Saturnia, a spooky soothsayer whose predictions all involve death. Sen Yung also offers assistance as Jimmy Chan. On a week's leave from the Army, Jimmy tells his Pop that "What I'd like now is the relaxation of a good murder case." He finds a suit of armor a good hiding place to spy from, but keeps getting pushed over and tumbling down flights of stairs….The plot involves a couple of murders by poison—pointing suspicion at Lucy Manderley, the only possibly-unbalanced Borgia in the group. Other elements adding to the mystery include a sleeping potion like the one Shakespeare's Juliet took, and the early disappearance of the only vehicle's distributor, leaving the entire group stranded and cut off. Overall, it's a fairly standard Charlie Chan: a decent mystery plot featuring a few chills, a fair mix of comedy, and a bit of action as well. Very entertaining for fans.

Michael O'Keefe A noted professor(Lucien Littlefeld)is murdered at the Mojave Desert mansion of millionaire Paul Manderley(Douglas Dumbrille)and his wife(Lenita Lane), a descendant of the infamous Borgia family. House guests become murder suspects along with their hosts when Oriental sleuth Charlie Chan(Sidney Toler)and his Number-Two-Son Jimmy(Sen Yung)start searching for clues. While poking about the castle, Detective Chan discovers an assortment of poisons and a torture chamber along with other things that could make good murder weapons. Mr. Manderley claims the items are there because he is a medieval scholar targeting research of the Borgias. Not the best Chan flick, but then again not the worst; good enough to please any murder mystery fan. Supporting cast features: Arleen Whelan, Edmund MacDonald, Richard Derr and Henry Daniell.