The Old Dark House(1932).Seeking shelter from a pounding rainstorm in a remote region of Wales, several travellers are admitted to a gloomy, foreboding mansion belonging to the extremely strange Femm family. Trying to make the best of it, the guests must deal with their sepulchral host, Horace Femm and his obsessive, malevolent sister Rebecca. Things get worse as the brutish manservant Morgan gets drunk, runs amuck and releases the long pent-up brother Saul, a psychotic pyromaniac who gleefully tries to destroy the residence by setting it on fire. Written byDoug Sederberg <vornoff@sonic.net>... Synopsis The Old Dark House(1932)
Movie Title: The Old Dark House(1932)
Run Time: 72 min
Rating: 7.3 / 10
Genres: Comedy |Horror
Release Date: 20 October 1932 (USA)
Director: James Whale
Writer: J.B. Priestley (from the novel by),Benn W. Levy (screen play), more credit ... and other credits
Actor: Boris Karloff,Melvyn Douglas,Charles Laughton
In the midst of a terrible storm in rural Wales, a series of landslides cuts off the road and sees American travellers Roger Penderel and the Wavertons seeking refuge in an old dark house. The house is run by the Femm's – an old man, his sister and the butler, the mute but intense Morgan. They are soon joined by Sir William Porterhouse and his showgirl companion, also cut off by the storm and they all sit to eat while the storm rages outside. Horace Femm warns about Morgan's violent drunken temper, putting everyone on edge; meanwhile the dark mood hanging over the house begins to unnerve the guests.
Fans of modern 'strangers in an old house' horror films will probably wonder what all the fuss is about in this film, where very little seems to happen for quite a long time apart from people talking in the middle of a storm. This approach allows director James Whale to have some fun with his colourful characters and mostly this works, but on the other hand the 'romance' involving Gladys is just awful and doesn't make a lick of sense. What the very long build up does do well is to create a real tension just from the atmosphere alone. The soundtrack is a constant storm noise and I don't know what that must have been like in a cinema but it was very unnerving even using my home speakers. Add to this the dark rooms and general sense of foreboding created by the dark corridors, high stairs and candle-lit rooms.
The characters are also a big part of this atmosphere – from the comic maniacs of the Femms to Porterhouse and his roaring accent. Karloff may be the big name in the cast but apart from his presence he has little to do with no dialogue. Douglas is good but his romance with Bond is trite and unnecessary. Thesiger is funny and is well supported by Moore. Wills makes a good 'monster' of the piece and is suitably unhinged. None of them really shine but they do enough to stretch out the time without it becoming boring, while the tension builds.
Overall this is a great film in terms of atmosphere but too much of the rest of it is too simple to really stick in my mind as a film I would come back to for repeat viewings. The script creates colourful characters to fill the time but not convincing people; the tension is well built but a bit more action along the way would have been appreciated. The direction and overall production is great (love the storm soundtrack) but it has not enough substance to it to make it a great film.
