The Old Dark House (1932) Director: James Whale
“Beware the Night!”
★★★★☆
A loopy cult-classic, and an early example of the haunted house genre complete with a lightning storm, strange whistling noises, and relatives locked in the attic, The Old Dark House was released before the contemporary age of horror movies clichés, and thus it defies most modern criticism. Nevertheless this is indeed an odd and, at times, awkward little movie –encumbered by a strange sense of tension that builds throughout the film but never truly releases. Director James Whale is the legendary hero of the 1930s “creature features,” with films like Frankenstein (1931), The Invisible Man (1933), and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). The Old Dark House (1932) was based on J.B. Priestly’s 1927 novel Benighted and it stars the great Boris Karloff. As a cult classic, The Old Dark House offers a fun, quirky adventure into the campy horror films of yesteryear.
Lovers, Philip and Morgan, are on a trip in the Welsh countryside with their friend Roger when they are suddenly trapped in a storm which forces them to seek shelter at an old house. The encounter two strange caretakers, one played by Boris Karloff whose portrayal inspired the later character of Lurch in The Addams Family, and an odd werewolf-looking groundskeeper named Morgan. They learn about the sinful Femm family that lived in the house. The 102-year old elder patriarch of the family (obviously played by an older woman) lives upstairs in the house. Two strangers arrive and Morgan gets drunk as the storm rages and the electricity goes out so they must venture upward into the house in search of a lamp, but Philip discovers the room of the elder Femm family patriarch who reveals a dark secret about his son, Saul, who has been locked in the attic for trying to burn down the house. He reveals that Saul is dangerous. When they leave the room they all find that Morgan has released Saul from the attic and the house descends into chaos as Saul attempts to burn the house down again. However they fight which prevents Saul from burning down the house. The next morning the storm has receded and they depart. The film closes as Roger proposes marriage to one of the other travelers who arrived.
The film is a clash between metropolitan high-minded values, and simpleton rural country-folk and their varying superstitions. Unlike other horror films, this movie is a silly romp through gothic story tropes, poking fun at everything from Jane Eyre and Edgar Allen Poe to Dracula and German folklore.
The film was a flop at the box office, with unsurprisingly poor reviews, and was shelved and forgotten at Universal, until in 1968 James Whale’s protege convinced the studio executives to locate the film and he took it to Kodak who returned the original negative to a watchable movie again. In attempting to answer the question of why the elder patriarch was played by a woman, Elspeth Dudgeon billed as “John” Dudgeon in the film credits, no one seems to remember.
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Credits
- Directed by: James Whale
- Written by: Benn W. Levy and R. C. Sherriff (uncredited)
- Based on: Benighted, a 1928 novel by J. B. Priestley
- Produced by: Carl Laemmle Jr.
- Starring:
- Boris Karloff…..Morgan
- Melvyn Douglas…..Roger Penderel
- Raymond Massey…..Philip Waverton
- Gloria Stuart…..Margaret Waverton
- Charles Laughton…..Sir William Porterhouse
- Cinematography: Arthur Edeson
- Edited by: Clarence Kolster
- Music by: David Broekman
- Production Company: Universal Pictures