Perhaps Lindsay's most acclaimed film role was in The House of the Seven Gables in 1940, with George Sanders and Vincent Price.
Directed by Joe May from a screenplay by Lester Cole, the film's musical score by Frank Skinner was nominated for an Academy Award.
Price recalled that "Margaret Lindsay was a delight to work with and a very good actress."

Michael Brunas, John Brunas and Tom Weaver wrote in Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931–46 that Lindsay "...one of the loveliest and most talented of '30s leading ladies, contributes a fine, mature performance that's probably the best, certainly the most striking, in the picture... [h]ad a Bette Davis played Hepzibah, this same performance would be hailed as a classic..."
In a 2004 Classic Images article about actor Jon Hall, film historian Colin Briggs wrote that a letter he had received from Lindsay indicated that her part in The House of the Seven Gables was her "favorite role."
Lindsay's letter to Briggs also stated that the film she had the most fun with was The Vigilantes Return (1947), in which she co-starred with Jon Hall. "...[
That] role was a complete departure from my usual parts and I grabbed it... I even warbled a Mae West type ditty.
As a man-chasing saloon singer after Jon Hall it was for me a totally extroverted style and I relished the opportunity... I have a framed still from that film on a wall in my home."

Her 1940s film series work in Hollywood included Columbia's first entry in its Crime Doctor series, as well as her continuing role as Nikki Porter in Columbia's Ellery Queen series (1940–1942).
Author Jon Tuska's affection for the Ellery Queen series mystified its star Ralph Bellamy.
During an interview by Tuska for his 1978 book, The Detective in Hollywood, he remarked, "I'm one of the few who does [like the series]." "
I don't know how ... They were such quickie pictures", Bellamy replied.

Jon Tuska cited Ellery Queen, Master Detective (1940) and Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery (1941) as the best of the Bellamy-Lindsay pairings. "
The influence of The Thin Man series was apparent in reverse," Tuska noted about Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery. "
Ellery and Nikki are unmarried but obviously in love with each other.
Probably the biggest mystery ... is how Ellery ever gets a book written.
Not only is Nikki attractive and perfectly willing to show off her figure ... but she also likes to write her own stories on Queen's time, and gets carried away doing her own investigations", Tuska opined.

Lindsay appeared in a supporting role in the 1942 film The Spoilers, starring John Wayne, and in Fritz Lang's Scarlet Street in 1945.
While her work in the late 1940s would occasionally involve a supporting role in MGM films like Cass Timberlane with Spencer Tracy, her film career went into decline, with roles in films at Poverty Row studios like Monogram Pictures and PRC.
She returned to the stage and co-starred with Franchot Tone in The Second Man.
Perhaps Lindsay's most acclaimed film role was in The House of the Seven Gables in 1940, with George Sanders and Vincent Price. Directed by Joe May from a screenplay by Lester Cole, the film's musical score by Frank Skinner was nominated for an Academy Award. Price recalled that "Margaret Lindsay was a delight to work with and a very good actress."
Michael Brunas, John Brunas and Tom Weaver wrote in Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931–46 that Lindsay "...one of the loveliest and most talented of '30s leading ladies, contributes a fine, mature performance that's probably the best, certainly the most striking, in the picture... [h]ad a Bette Davis played Hepzibah, this same performance would be hailed as a classic..."
In a 2004 Classic Images article about actor Jon Hall, film historian Colin Briggs wrote that a letter he had received from Lindsay indicated that her part in The House of the Seven Gables was her "favorite role." Lindsay's letter to Briggs also stated that the film she had the most fun with was The Vigilantes Return (1947), in which she co-starred with Jon Hall. "...[That] role was a complete departure from my usual parts and I grabbed it... I even warbled a Mae West type ditty. As a man-chasing saloon singer after Jon Hall it was for me a totally extroverted style and I relished the opportunity... I have a framed still from that film on a wall in my home."
Her 1940s film series work in Hollywood included Columbia's first entry in its Crime Doctor series, as well as her continuing role as Nikki Porter in Columbia's Ellery Queen series (1940–1942). Author Jon Tuska's affection for the Ellery Queen series mystified its star Ralph Bellamy. During an interview by Tuska for his 1978 book, The Detective in Hollywood, he remarked, "I'm one of the few who does [like the series]." "I don't know how ... They were such quickie pictures", Bellamy replied.
Jon Tuska cited Ellery Queen, Master Detective (1940) and Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery (1941) as the best of the Bellamy-Lindsay pairings. "The influence of The Thin Man series was apparent in reverse," Tuska noted about Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery. "Ellery and Nikki are unmarried but obviously in love with each other. Probably the biggest mystery ... is how Ellery ever gets a book written. Not only is Nikki attractive and perfectly willing to show off her figure ... but she also likes to write her own stories on Queen's time, and gets carried away doing her own investigations", Tuska opined.
Lindsay appeared in a supporting role in the 1942 film The Spoilers, starring John Wayne, and in Fritz Lang's Scarlet Street in 1945. While her work in the late 1940s would occasionally involve a supporting role in MGM films like Cass Timberlane with Spencer Tracy, her film career went into decline, with roles in films at Poverty Row studios like Monogram Pictures and PRC. She returned to the stage and co-starred with Franchot Tone in The Second Man.
Margaret Lindsay