Rent The Old Dark House (1932)

Even the Welsh ought not to sound like that ... - The Old Dark House review by NP

Following the huge success of Frankenstein the year before, director James Whale once again worked with Boris Karloff in this very loose adaptation of JB Preistley's Benighted novel. Whale's black humour, coupled with Universal films' love of horror at that time, produced one of the most enjoyable eccentric films I remember seeing.

The cast list is incredible - Daniel Massey, Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Gloria Stuart and Charles Laughton spend a night in the house of the title, presided over by prissy, jittery host Horace Femm, played by Ernest Thesiger (who all but steals the show with his wide eyes, hollow features and nervy mannerisms).

The travellers are forced to take refuge there because of the impressive storm that every good horror film should have.

"Beds! They can't have beds," shrieks half deaf Rebecca Femm.

"As my sister hints, there are no beds," announces Horace with perpetual disdain.

Also in the house are two other Femm relatives. Roderick, 102 and bedridden, warns them of brother Saul. Roderick is actually played by a heavily made up Elspeth Dudgeon.

When Saul is finally revealed, he is a frightened, tortured man. That is, until backs are turned and his face turns into an insane leer - Saul is as mad as the rest of them. Dangerously so!

This film was considered lost for quite a time, but thatnks to James Whales' friend and fellow director Curtis Harrington, can still be enjoyed in all its creepy, bizarre glory.

Turn the Lights Down Low - The Old Dark House review by CH

At first this film appears simply comic, and it keeps that up, with some droll dialogue throughout, but there is an underlying, genuine fear which goes deep, an echo of J.B. Priestley's original novel (Benighted) which is rooted in post-Great War disillusion.

Everybody who saw Gloria Stuart in Titanic (1997) should be sure not to miss her appearance in this, sixty-seven years earlier. That is surely a leap across time.

Comedy Horror. - The Old Dark House review by Steve

The title of this oddity from Universal Studios  gave a name to a sub-genre of the horror film. It's a reflection on the state of England after the great war, crossed with a monster film.  On a stormy night, five contrasting characters stumble on a remote residence occupied by inbred grotesques. 

Which has a lot in common with Deliverance and many other fish-out-of-water horror-thrillers. The visitors must survive these human monsters, and their own, personal demons. They have to make it through the night, much as England had to survive its own existential darkness after WWI.

It's is a faithful adaptation of JB Priestley's novel, which is set in Wales, but here recreated on a Hollywood soundstage. James Whale directs with a really eccentric sense of the absurd, casting a mixture of oddball English expats like Boris Karloff and Ernest Thesiger, who are transformed by the legendary Universal effects team.  

Sadly, the film runs out of credibility on the hour and often soft pedals on its social themes. What remains is ultimately a fright film. Whale's peculiar sensibilities won't appeal to everyone. But there's pleasure to be had from watching this cast work together. Apart from the crazies, Charles Laughton brings the energy, Lilian Bond provides the heart and Gloria Stuart, the sex appeal.