"The Agatha Christie Hour" is a bit of potpourri of largely unclassifiable tales penned down by the greatest fiction-writer who ever lived; Agatha Christie (duh). None of the short films included in the TV-series feature her most famous protagonists, like Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot, and they aren't flamboyant murder-whodunits with surprise twists or red herrings. "The Red Signal" is half of an exception, as the plot eventually does turn into a more recognizable murder-mystery with a convoluted plot and a typical Christie finale. Therefore, it's arguably one of the better entries in the series.
A group of people gather for a dinner party with an unusual attraction at the end, namely a séance with a self-declared spiritual medium. There are already some tensions before the séance, and shortly after the event one of the guests - a respectable psychiatrist - is brutally murdered by a bullet in the head. The main suspect is the victim's nephew, who was also present at the dinner, as they ended the evening with a nasty discussion about the nephew's affection for a married woman. The first half of the film, including the séance, is extremely dull. The second half, however, is vintage Christie with a couple of ingenious moments, like the prime suspect impersonating his own butler to distract the police and buy some time to find out who framed him.
The title - "The Red Signal" - refers to a sort of inexplicable premonition the lead character receives to warn him about something bad that is about to happen. His vision literally turns blood-red for a second or two. Because of this, I had Billy Ocean's catchy and relevant song "Red Light Spells Danger" in my head throughout the entire running time (and long after).
A group of people gather for a dinner party with an unusual attraction at the end, namely a séance with a self-declared spiritual medium. There are already some tensions before the séance, and shortly after the event one of the guests - a respectable psychiatrist - is brutally murdered by a bullet in the head. The main suspect is the victim's nephew, who was also present at the dinner, as they ended the evening with a nasty discussion about the nephew's affection for a married woman. The first half of the film, including the séance, is extremely dull. The second half, however, is vintage Christie with a couple of ingenious moments, like the prime suspect impersonating his own butler to distract the police and buy some time to find out who framed him.
The title - "The Red Signal" - refers to a sort of inexplicable premonition the lead character receives to warn him about something bad that is about to happen. His vision literally turns blood-red for a second or two. Because of this, I had Billy Ocean's catchy and relevant song "Red Light Spells Danger" in my head throughout the entire running time (and long after).