The Old Dark House
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Movie Reviews of The Old Dark House
Movie Review: Ba HA HA HA HA
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this one on the late show years and years ago, and I couldn't believe how ridiculous and FUN it was, while at the same time being plenty creepy. To say it holds up over time is an understatement. The servants are unfriendly, the uninvited guests are a handful, and it between is more stuff and nonsense that will probably get you addicted to these old classics- but you won't find another "Old Dark House". Just one example- after the threesome burst in uninvited the butler approaches a side table where there is a vase of flowers. "My sister was just arranging these", he says, and then chucks the whole lot into the fire. More inexplicable rudeness and campy, John Waters-esque nonsense ensues- with a wonderful Boris Karloff as a barely intelligible doorman (must have been a hoot for him to play a role like this!) This isn't the sort of wholesome, "Blackbeard's Ghost" type of shenanigans the whole family will love (though they probably will)- this is filled with innuendo (note the butler's name is "Mr. Femme"- hahahah) that probably would never have made it past the Hayes Code folks, and thank god for it. But don't think this is just some "Rocky Horror" number with no thrills- it has some genuinely creepy moments, with a definite squeamishly fetishistic overtone. I would say before you see any other old black and white "flicker", watch this one first.Movie Review: No beds! They can't have any beds!
Summary: 5 Stars
James Whale's masterpiece may be the very finest of all the great Universal horror films of the early 30s, despite the absence of any of its famous stable of monsters. The film is basically an extended meditation on rot and decay--physical, moral, and genetic--, but the screenplay is so fast and funny and scary that you have little time for metaphysical speculation until it's all over. Two groups of travellers find shelter from the Mother of All Rainstorms in a great wreck of an aristocratic manor house in the Welsh one horrible night, and meet the house's occupants: a giant mute butler (Boris Karloff), who becomes violent when he's been drinking, and his masters: a dessicated prissy aristocrat Horace Femm (the brilliant Ernest Thesiger) and his fanatical sister Rebecca (Eva Moore), who refuses the travellers beds for the night. But there are more Femms hidden away in the house, and the film does a superb job allowing the wayfarers (and the viewer) to go further and further in to see the horrors hidden away. The level of acting in this film is unusually high for its period and largely holds up today: of particular note besides Karloff, Thesiger and Moore are Lilian Bond as a goodtime girl, Charles Laughton as the Yorkshire millionaire keeping her, and Gloria Stuart as an intelligent beauty.Movie Review: Ernest Thesiger Rocks the House!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're expecting a horror movie, forget it - that aspect doesn't really kick in until the last couple of reels and was probably pretty old hat even in 1932. What you get is something altogether more unexpected and much more welcome - one of the greatest comedies of manners ever made.Those who don't like their wit dry need not apply, but those who do are in for a real treat. Charles Laughton's blustering but good natured Yorkshireman channels more than a pinch of George Formby, but it's Ernest Thesiger who steals the show even more wholeheartedly than he did in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN - never has one man got so much comic mileage with so little visible effort from the words "Have a potato." Forget Dr. Pretorius, this is the absolutely unique Thesiger's finest hour. There are plenty of good lines to go round the rest of the tremendous cast ("Not even Welsh should sound like that," notes Melvyn Douglas when confronted with Karloff's grunting), the characters are really rather likeable for a change, and even the wildly unconvincing casting of an actress to play the family patriarch does not detract. Not a horror classic, not a prototype slasher movie (despite its obvious influence on the genre), but a truly great comedy. Sit back, pour yourself a gin and have a potato...
Movie Review: Nothing depressing about 1930's horror
Summary: 5 Stars
The 30's
The finest decade in cinema for
examining the roots of all evil
exploring the notions of fear
depicting the elements in life
that might make you
hesitate
get nervous
or hold your breath
The Old, Dark House offers all of these things and more. Director Whale keeps one finger on the panic button and one on the laugh meter. When it comes to horror/comedy, he masterfully goes both ways.
This is a bizarre tale of a trio (or threesome, if you prefer) that seek shelter in a secluded mansion during a horrendous storm. This safe haven is old. Plus dark. And as soon as they step inside, they realize something evil is afoot.
Or is it just something eccentric? This might be the nuthouse instead of the House of horrors. The mute butler (Karloff) has a hideous scar and consequential fits of rage after a stiff drink (not to mention something stiff for stranded hot chicks). There's the loony religious lady, the atheist, the 102-yr-old lady with the beard, the crazy pyro, and more.
It all adds up to a creepy night of fun, mystery, and melodrama. Great performances, camera work, atmosphere--just a tremendous script and directing. Classic horror you don't wanna miss...
Movie Review: Turn Out The Lights For This One!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Why everyone doesn't own this is beyond me. Anyone who likes the Universal monster movies should buy this. I discovered this movie curled up in my bed at three in the morning on a rainy night. Fantastic....PLOT: A group of three get stranded on a rainy night at a creepy mansion. Creepiness ensues.
WHY THIS MOVIE IS SO GREAT: One word-ATMOSPHERE. This movie drips creepy, shadowy, rain hitting the windowpane atmosphere. James Whale (Frankenstein) directed this, with all the little nuances that make his movies so enjoyable. His humor is here in leaps and bounds. The acting is great (What a cast!)
WHY THIS DVD IS SO GREAT: Crystal clear picture- considering it's 70 years old. The essay in the sleeve is informative, the movie still gallery is enjoyable (for those of you who like those sort of things), the interview tells a neat story, the commentary is great, but the gem is Gloria Stuart's commentary. OK, she's old, so it's not exactly fast-paced. But her memories are priceless. Pretty soon all who worked on this movie will be gone...
If you like atmospheric, "bump in the night" B/W movies, The Old Dark House is by far the best one.
Buy this movie, you will NOT be disappointed!