Cheap The Old Dark House (DVD) (Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Lilian Bond, Gloria Stuart) (James Whale) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Old Dark House

Have A Potato !
Out of the four classic 'horror' films James Whale directed for Universal ('Frankenstein', 'The Invisble Man', and 'Bride of Frankenstein' being the others) this movie is certainly the odd one out. There are no monsters and no mad scientists, just a collection of extremely strange characters. For once Boris Karloff is upstaged not by one, but two of his fellow cast members. Ernest Thesiger gives a wonderfully weird performance throughout and larger than life Charles Laughton dominates every scene he appears in. Because of the lack of any 'monster' and the fact that virtually the whole film takes place inside the house, it is the dialogue and characters that make this film so truly memorable. If you've heard that 'The Old Dark House' was a 'lost' film then you needn't worry about picture or sound quality. The film's restoration work has produced a very good quality print. Unusually for me, I watched this film 3 or 4 times within a week of receiving it, not least because of the great commentaries provided by James Curtis and especially Gloria Stuart. 'The Old Dark House' certainly demands multiple viewings, which is the best praise I can give it.

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James Whale has a stellar cast but a second rate horror film
"The Old Dark House" is a bit disappointing simply because with all the talent collected on both sides of the camera you would expect an absolute classic horror film. This 1932 film is directed by James Whale based on the novel by J. B. Priestley. In front of the camera are Boris Karloff, Melyvn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart, Lilian Bond, Ernest Thesiger and Raymond Massey. During a raging storm in the Welsh mountains, Philip Waverton (Massey), his wife Margaret (Stuart) and Roger Penderel (Douglas) seek refuge in an old house. Inside are Horace Femm (Thesiger), an eccentric atheist; his sister Rebecca (Eva Moore), a religious fanatic; and Morgan (Karloff), their mute hulking butler, who has a tendency to get homicidal when he becomes drunk. Two other weary travelers, Sir William Porterhouse (Laughton) and Gladys DuCane (Bond) are stuck for the night as well. Morgan gets drunk and attacks Margaret and things continue to escalate until the butler frees Saul (Brember Wills), a pyromaniac locked up in a remote wing of the house. The set up is a bit forced, as this is probably the oddest group of people thrown together during a storm you will ever see in a film and while the second half is suspenseful as things get out of hand the finale is rather unsatisfying. "The Old Dark House" is the first film in which Karloff gets top billing and it was the first American film for both Laughton and Massey.

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Perfect for a late-night movie fest
This movie reminds me of all the fun movies that were on the local Chiller Theater when I was growing up. Terrific thrills and chills in an old-fashioned manner. James Whales, best known for Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, directed and his touches are visible, from intelligent dialogue to the chaotic action scenes.

A wind-blown Gloria Stuart is awesome to behold as a damsel in distress. Well cast and well acted, this is one of the classics.