Insane with the desire to avenge his daughter's death, Dr. Boris Karlov plots a sinister scheme of revenge against the family he holds responsible. Overwhelmed by grief, Karlov blames the Petrov family, a clan of nobles he believes drove his daughter to her death. Corrupt and cowardly Prince Gregor Petrov had given Karlov's daughter a mysterious necklace known as The Drums of Jeopardy, which is rumored to have deadly powers. The scientist uses the necklace and its jewels as messengers of death when he begins to hunt down members of the doomed family.
A forgotten early entry of the horror genre, The Drums of Jeopardy features renowned character actor Warner Oland. Oland, best known for his portrayal of master detective Charlie Chan and one of the screen's lycanthropes in Universal's Werewolf of London in 1935. Supporting actress Clara Blandick supplies the comedy relief, and later cements herself in cinematic history with her role as Auntie Em in the 1939 MGM classic The Wizard of Oz. B-picture favorite Mischa Auer appeared in several horror and mystery thrillers throughout the '30s and '40s, including And Then There Were None and The Monster Walks.
The name of the principal villain in The Drums of Jeopardy, Dr. Boris Karlov, was no doubt inspired by actor Boris Karloff, although this film was released before Karloff had become a household name synonymous with horror.