What is it about huge mansions and eccentric owners?

Start with a large estate, a strange set of circumstances surrounding the will of an old, absent owner. Throw in a famous mystery novelist, a scheming hypnotist, a fast-talking sheriff and creepy noises, and you’ve got a murder just waiting to happen.

The stage is set for Smoky Mountain Community Theatre’s late-summer production of “The Ghost of Rhodes Manor,” which opens Aug. 26 for two weekends in downtown Bryson City. Tickets are $7. Shows will run at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26-27, Sept. 2, 3, and 5; and at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 28 and Sept. 4.

Billed as a “spine-tingling thriller,” this play offers up a cleverly delicious plot that centers around the dark mansion known as Rhodes Manor. Helen Underwood, a well-known mystery writer, and her assistant Mary Fitzgerald (played by sisters Sarah and Chloe Engel) have been invited to the manor by an unknown fan. Underwood has made a career out of writing her novels in scary settings, but nothing scares her more than hobnobbing with fans or attending parties, so she has swapped identities with her secretary Mary, who is all too happy to play the part of a famous author.

The only problem is, someone wants to get rid of Underwood, and soon the characters start disappearing or falling under the spell of a hypnotist named Alda Iverson (played by Teresa Maynard), who slips stealthily around the house better than the alleged ghost of Rhodes Manor.

Into the mix comes perky reporter Tillie Van Winkle (played by Hannah Engel), who shows up asking all sorts of questions in an effort to learn more about the haunted house, and Biddy Haggerty (played by Rebecca Crockett), the local sheriff who charges in to arrest any and all suspects.

Haggerty, a spry, zany female version of Barney Fife, provides some comic relief, as does Glory, Underwood’s maid (Judy McFalls) who hams it up as the spooks begin to multiply.

Rather than a whodunit murder mystery, “The Ghost of Rhodes Manor” is more of a “who could-do-it” as clues and questions surface about who or what might want to kill Helen Underwood. Will the real Underwood solve the crime before it’s too late, or will a ghost claim a new victim?

This three-act play will have its audience guessing, as did the cast. Director Toby Allman, who leads a SMCT play for the fourth time, gave out parts of the script to his actors as they learned their lines and asked if they could figure out the plot without having the script ending. He kept them guessing for about a month and in the process helped bond the all-female cast of 10 as they started rehearsing in mid-June.

“I’ve always enjoyed mysteries,” Allman said during a recent rehearsal. Adding to the suspense of the scenes, Allman is working in special sound effects and mood lighting.

The mystery drama, written by Jean Lee Latham in 1939, has a Victorian aura to it — probably, says Chloe Engel, because famous mysteries about Sherlock Holmes and novels by Agatha Christie have been set in that time period, so people tend to pair murder mysteries with that era.

Engel and two of her sisters, Sarah and Hannah, joined up for another Smoky Mountain Community Theatre production after most of the family was involved in last summer’s “Alice in Wonderland.” In some families, the spotlight may mean competing for limited roles, but Chloe says she and her sisters were more worried they wouldn’t all be in the same show. Now that they are, half the fun is acting together.

“It’s great because we can work on lines at home,” says Chloe.

The Engel family moved to Swain County from Illinois three years ago. Since the Engels are home-schooled, they aren’t able to try out for the Swain County High School shows, so the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre provides a welcome outlet for their stage talents.

Sarah and Chloe carry on British accents with ease while Hannah revels in her gregarious role as ace reporter Tillie Van Winkle.

For Sarah, who is used to being in comedic roles, this latest production is a chance to take on a more serious character. It’s really a role within a role as public-phobic novelist Helen Underwood pretends to be Mary Fitzgerald.

“I hope we make it clear enough for the audience to catch on,” Sarah explained.

Sarah and Chloe attribute their love of the stage to their talented mother, who was involved in many high school shows back when she was their age. Sarah, Hannah and Chloe have all attended the Bob Jones University drama camp multiple summers. Having seen their command of character and animated stage presence, one would expect them to be gracing the stage for many years to come.

For more information about “The Ghost of Rhodes Manor” or upcoming shows at Smoky Mountain Community Theatre, visit the Web site at www.smctheatre.com or call 828.508.6645.