(1932)****
A trio of travelers find themselves driving through the kind of torrential rainstorm you only see in the movies on a dark night in a remote region of Wales. Agreeing that they must stop driving given the treacherous conditions, the group stumbles upon a gothic mansion, where they are greeted by Horace Femm, a grim individual who invites them into his eerie dwelling. They are soon introduced to Horace’s spiteful sister, Rebecca and their loutish butler, Morgan (Boris Karloff fresh off of his new Frankenstein fame). During an awkward dinner with their hosts, the trio is joined by another couple fleeing the pounding storm. As the night wears on family secrets are revealed, Morgan becomes drunk and violent, and a psychotic sibling emerges.
The Old Dark House is directed by James Whale of Frankenstein (1931), The Invisible Man (1933), and Bride of Frankenstein (1935) fame and following a weak run at the box office was shelved and subsequently lost for 3 decades. With the persistence of Curtis Harrington (director and protégé of Whale) Universal finally located a decaying copy and it was restored with much expense. It was worth it. The Old Dark House is an early example of the “haunted house” picture and it’s terrific. Great acting, witty banter, dark secrets, murder, and secret passages make for a brisk, creepy little film abounding with thunderclaps, lightening, howling wind, and things that go bump in the night. Loved it.
4 comments:
I love the old Universal horror films! I'd never heard of this one - I'll have to check it out. I'm simultaneously thrilled and concerned about all the recent Universal remakes - like the upcoming Wolfman.
This sounds fantastic, my kind of movie.
Man, is that Karloff looking out that window? He looks like a freak!
I thought butlers were supposed to be all reserved and cultural, not loutish drunks. They should call the agency.
Nice review, JPX. I've always counted on you to root out the choice oldie flicks. Love this title, too.
Sounds excellent!
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