 In the book "Universal Horrors", the authors described the film as "neither an all-out horror story nor a puzzling whodunnit" stating the film would be easier placed in contemporary terms as "a quaintly charming and atmospheric Victorian melodrama" and lacking in real suspense.Universal Pictures Corp. was enthusiastic about adapting "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" and exploiting its lack of finale and gave the film high productions values of $215,375 and developed an aggressive advertising campaign to exploit the novel's unresolved ending.According to Universal publicity papers, Universal's London office shot thousands of feet of film and took numerous till shots of Victorian-style structures in the Rochester in 1934 for the film.