The Old Dark House (1932)

You won't be disappointed!

Better Late Then Never

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Copyright 12 October 1932 by Universal Pictures Corporation. New York opening at the Rialto: 27 October 1932. U.K. release: 21 October 1932 (sic). 6,451 feet. 71 minutes.SYNOPSIS: A charming young wastrel (Melvyn Douglas), a wealthy but rough-and-ready manufacturer (Charles Laughton) and his chorus-girl partner (Lilian Bond), plus a bickering married couple (Raymond Massey and Gloria Stuart) are independently stranded one stormy night in Wales. They are forced to spend the night in a gloomy old mansion belonging to the weirdly eccentric Femm family who are somewhat at the mercy of their grimly menacing (if speechless) butler (Boris Karloff). As might be expected from Priestley and Sherriff, the bizarrely comic dialogue is even more fascinating than all the anticipated shocks and thrills. COMMENT: Sometimes referred to as the grandfather of all haunted house horrors, The Old Dark House is just one of quite a few well-stocked originals, including The Bat (1926) and The Cat and the Canary (1927). What it does offer is a superb gallery of interesting and fascinatingly off-beat characters, brilliantly brought to life here by an incredibly star-studded cast. It's virtually impossible to pick just who stands out from this richly diverse assembly, though I do have a soft spot for Gloria Stuart who was never more attractively photographed or handsomely attired. Karloff's fans will not be disappointed either.Tempting though it is to quote some of the racy dialogue and point out a few of the heart-stopping chills and surprises so effectively delivered by director James Frankenstein Whale and cameraman Arthur All Quiet on the Western Front (and later Casablanca) Edeson, I'll content myself by observing that, despite the hundreds of imitations that have since appeared, the original Old Dark House still packs at least five or six mighty good scares.

This was quite an experience, I wasn't expecting anything less from the great James Whale. The Old Dark House (1932) its probably among my favorite horror films from Universal, it has a great cast playing interesting likable characters, and a great director who makes everything work.The horror element in this film its quite effective, its eerie and creepy, but even if it didn't have those horror elements to it the movie would have been worth watching, is just fun to listen to these wonderful characters talk, the writing is quite clever and develops the story in such a way that it keeps you interested and engrossed. The performances, the mystery, the suspense, the horror, the thrills, an eerie mood and a great set are what makes this film great.I definitely recommend it.

"The Old Dark House" is one of those films that remains a classic with each viewing.The cast,direction, script and photography are exceptional.There are many amusing moments along the way and in typical James Whale fashion.With actors like Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton, Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart, Ernest Thesiger and others, you couldn't ask for a more heavyweight cast. Boris Karloff said he was a bit disappointed that his role as the mute Butler, Morgan, didn't stretch him as an actor. I can understand why but it wouldn't be a "Universal" film without him.Strictly speaking, this isn't a Haunted House movie but I understand James Whale was influenced by silent films like "The Cat and the Canary" and "The Last Warning" (which is lost).Gloria Stuart stated years later how James Whale was the consummate professional who oversaw every aspect of the production. It certainly shows in the final results.

I'm so glad I recently discovered this movie. It was so old, but so much fun. I reckon the best way to watch movies like it is to catch the oldest scratched-up prints of them with bad sound on questionable late night TV stations. They seem to be almost made for that kind of romantic creakiness. I loved how much wit it had, how it had such a great sneaky dark humour about itself that makes you feel like it's inviting you to a spooky party. It really turned out to be one of the best of the very old horror films that I've ever seen. And I personally don't really enjoy all that many 30s pictures.. It gave me a bit of hope that my taste in movies could be a little more cultured than I thought! You might not think it's the right word for a 1932 movie but I had such a blast with it! It was like unearthing an ancient treasure, the way it was so old that I didn't know who any of the actors were, and how it was so black and dusky-looking gave it an almost dreamlike quality... Its classic Gothic overtones were enchanting to me, I felt strangely drawn to it within moments and it grew on me right away. Just my type of film I suppose.. It 'spoke' to me! It simply has oodles of what a good scary story needs more than anything else: Atmosphere, such a perfectly wonderful midnight storm constantly raging outside, and those ever-present sounds of driving rain and whistling shrieks of wind gave it an almost immersive effect I thought, it made me feel something like I was in that dark house myself. And oh my but that really was such a terrifically creepy old stone house. Like the plot, it was taken straight out of a great old horror tale. I loved everything about it, it was like one of those walk- through ghost houses that you sometimes get at amusement parks, the rooms were like furnished crypts, just magical... And just one more time this may be frightfully old, but it has some surprisingly intense scary scenes where the mood suddenly stops being quirky for a second. I loved the setup and how it played out, it was so perfect to me. People trapped in a storm find a foreboding craggy manor and take refuge in the bizarre abode of decayed grandeur, and then they meet and engage with the stranger still eccentric family of the damned! My favourite thing about it is the weird characters. For me the scenes where the guests interact with the Femm clan are the best parts of it. It was very character driven. I especially like Ernest Thesigar as Harris Femm, he was hysterical! Any of the low budget or perhaps even amateurish qualities only add to the film's rustic appeal. The pacing is odd and the story is vague, but regardless of its faults and as simple as it is, it succeeds admirably in delivering a joyously fun and sinister quality that more than lives up to the humble promise of its title. So I was just very happy to have found this, it was completely new to me and I loved it. Don't think I'll ever be seeing too many more quite like it. An eerie delight!