The Old Dark House (1932)

A dark, gothic, one-of-a-kind macabre comedy. Directed by James Whale, subject of the acclaimed "Gods and Monsters," "The Old Dark House" tells the story of three weary travelers who find shelter in a mysterious Welsh manor, soon find themselves in the unwelcoming company of the psychotic Femm family--and never will they be the same!

Raging storm, trapped in a spooky mansion with psychopaths!

For the vintage black-and-white mystery-thriller film purist, this 1932 Universal Pictures flick has it all: brilliant casting, stormy night, spooky mansion, vulnerable travelers, crazy residents... what more could anyone ask for? Now, while this is a very old film the sound is pretty darn good and the print quality is much better than what I had expected.

THE STORY: During a raging thunderstorm, several travelers are forced to stop and seek refuge at the Femm Family Mansion due to road wash-outs and landslides. The Femms, all pretty aged (along with their domestic spore), are as wacky as they come. Horace is bug-eyed, skeleton-ish, paranoid, and terrified while his sister, Rebecca, is as venomous as a mamba and notably inhospitable ("NO BEDS! THEY CAN'T HAVE BEDS!") -- but as it turns out, she's sort of the brains of the outfit. There's also Morgan the Butler (Karloff!), a depraved creature who becomes VERY dangerous to be around when he's drunk (which is most of the time). And, best of all, locked away upstairs is Saul, an ancient psychopathic, conniving, homicidal pyromaniac -- and sometimes he gets out!

The mixed gender travelers (portrayed in part by Raymond Massey and Charles Laughton) try to make the best of their situation by backing up to a blazing fireplace and filling their empty bellies over a meal of roast beef and potatoes, but the combination of the storm (which threatens to wash away the entire mansion!) and the depraved proclivities of the morbid and bizarre house residents take its toll before the night is over. The gothic ambiance of the venue serves to further generate lots of terror and thrills.

In private, Rebecca regales one of the jumpier female guests with a little story: "They were all godless here. They used to bring their women here - brazen, lolling creatures in silks and satins. They filled the house with laughter and sin, laughter and sin. And if I ever went down among them, my own father and brothers - they would tell me to go away and pray, and I prayed - and left them with their lustful red and white women."

The story is based upon a 1927 novel by J. B. Priestly, entitled "Benighted," and Benn W. Levey developed the screenplay. The film was directed by James Whale ("Bride of Frankenstein," 1935) and the Producer was Carl Laemmle, Jr. ("The Invisible Man," 1933). While he was not credited, the (original music) filmscore was composed by David Broekman. The movie runs for 72 minutes and the aspect is full-frame.

If you're into the "dark and stormy night" thing and you savor older films, you've hit the jackpot with this one!

(See my numerous Listmania lists for similar reviews and recommendations).

August 21, 2008

Classic Horror

The Old Dark House......has all the elements you'd expect in a film like this..suspicious characters,romance,humor and great acting!
I would recommend this movie to anyone who like 'old fashioned' scares!
Buy it! December 3, 2007

Primitive Horror Film

This is the film version of the J.B. Priestly horror novel. It was a dark and stormy night, a couple is driving on a muddy country road through the Welsh mountains. Their touring car does not have side curtains. They are lost, and pull into a house with lights. The Femm household has some strange characters. This house has its own electricity. There is conflict among the household, like when prayers are offered before a meal. Then a knock on the door brings another couple to this house; they are also lost. The guests tell about themselves. [Filming in the rain must have been a technical breakthrough that year.]

When they go to fetch a lamp they hear a strange sound. Is there someone in a locked room? Does the butler have a drinking problem? Will something terrible happen? If a madman is locked up what will happen if he is released? Will the innocent survive and the guilty die?

This is boring and almost unwatchable film, a waste of time. It does show the performances of some actors who became more famous years later. Some of the scenes reflect the hidden quirks of the actors.
November 13, 2007

Have a potato...

The Old Dark House (James Whale, 1932)

James Whale, who'd just imprinted his name on the American consciousness with Frankenstein, returned the next year with another Karloff vehicle, The Old Dark House. These days, Karloff's participation is somewhat eclipsed by the fact that this was the first American film to feature the great Charles Laughton, who would win the Best Actor oscar for The Private Life of Henry VIII the next year, as well as the nature of Karloff's role (he never speaks, only mumbles and growls; according to Robert Osborne, Morgan, Karloff's character, was the inspiration for the Addam's Family butler Lurch).

The Old Dark House is a much lighter tale than Frankenstein, and Whale treats it more as a comedy of errors than a horror film (though this is not to suggest that it's not deadly serious at times). The plot concerns said old dark house and its inhabitants, who on the night of a storm are repeatedly plagued by travellers on the road below, which has washed out in a landslide, leaving them with nowhere else to go. To compound matters, Morgan (Karloff), the family butler, has a hatred of storms, and tends to drink heavily when there's thunder in the air. And when he gets drunk, he's not a happy camper. Adding to the weirdness is a locked and barred room on the fourth floor, and no one will tell the guests what's behind it...

Much of the enjoyment of watching The Old Dark House comes from its top-notch ensemble cast, which includes not only Karloff and Laughton, but also Melvyn Douglas, Lilian Bond, Eva Moore, Elspeth Dudgeon (in her first big-screen appearance), Gloria Stuart, Ernest Thesiger, and Raymond Massey. Put them all together and you get, as one critic put it, the most uncomfortable dinner scene ever committed to film. I plan to say "Have a potato." to all my in-laws this Thanksgiving, and none of them will get it.

For all that, it's not a very scary film, but then one has to wonder whether it was meant to be. There's some romance, a bit of swashbuckling, and, of course, the mad butler, but when the women go cowering into the cupboard when that locked door on the fourth floor is finally opened, how can the viewer look at the situation with anything but amusement by that time? That may, of course, have been Whale's intention all along. We'll never know. Just the fact that we're still able to see this film is pretty amazing, given that it was lost for so many years. *** ½
November 12, 2007

DON'T WATCH THIS ALONE IN THE DARK!

This film features Boris Karloff (of Frankenstein fame) as the alcoholic and crazed butler along with many other notables such as Melvyn Douglas, Gloria Stuart, Charles Laughton, Lilian Bond and Raymond Massey. It is directed by James Whale also of Frankenstein fame. The quality of the video transfer is very good in my opinion especially considering it was originally released in 1932.

The film is witty, surprising yet still "Dark" in nature. As with most "Haunted House" films, it starts out with several travelers who suddenly find themselves spending the night at the old dark house. It contains many surprises and is truly scary with no special effects. You definitely don't want to watch this alone in the dark!

Special features include audio commentaries by actress Gloria Stuart (Titanic) and James Curtis (author of the Biography of James Whale "A World of Gods and Monsters". It also includes a filmed interview with Curtis Harrington and a gallery of production and publicity stills from the film.

"The Old Dark House" is highly recommended if you enjoy the classic horror films of the 1930's and 1940's.
September 28, 2007

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