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The Old Dark House

"Beware the night!"

In a remote region of Wales, five travelers beset by a relentless storm find shelter in an old mansion.

Top Cast

  • Boris Karloff

    Boris Karloff

    Morgan

  • Melvyn Douglas

    Melvyn Douglas

    Penderel

  • Charles Laughton

    Charles Laughton

    Sir William Porterhouse

  • Lilian Bond

    Lilian Bond

    Gladys

  • Ernest Thesiger

    Ernest Thesiger

    Horace Femm

  • Eva Moore

    Eva Moore

    Rebecca Femm

  • Raymond Massey

    Raymond Massey

    Philip Waverton

  • Gloria Stuart

    Gloria Stuart

    Margaret Waverton

  • Elspeth Dudgeon

    Elspeth Dudgeon

    Sir Roderick Femm

Overview

In a remote region of Wales, five travelers beset by a relentless storm find shelter in an old mansion.

Rating

6.7 / 10
303 Reviews
1 Popular

2 Reviews

  • John Chard
    John Chard
    8 Apr 24, 2019

    Beware The Night. As a violent storm rages, five travellers in a remote part of Wales take refuge at a creepy looking mansion that's home to the "odd" Femm family... Weird, exciting and positively funny haunted house film with a top cast that's directed by one of Horror's greatest directors, James Whale. Based loosely around J.B. Priestley's novel "Benighted", the piece is further boosted by excellent camera work from Arthur Edeson and a screenplay that positively zips with memorable moments. Upon release in America the film was poorly received, yet unsurprisingly given it's British dryness, it was well liked in Britain. Even spawning an imitation in the form of The Ghoul, with both Boris Karloff and the irrepressible Ernest Thesiger again starring. The Old Dark House got a reissue in the late 30s after the Horror genre had been reinvigorated by the likes of King Kong, but sadly it fell off the radar once the rights had reverted to Priestley. The film then appeared to be lost for many many years until Curtis Harrington (director of such TV Horror fare like Killer Bees) found a print in the archives in 1968, and thankfully got the funding to have the film restored and preserved. Thus now, and as far from perfect as the print is, the piece can be enjoyed by anyone with a bent for such a unique blend of Horror & Comedy. You have to be prepared for its kooky nature to truly enjoy the experience, but all being well The Old Dark House will continue to garner new fans with each passing year. The supreme director and marvellous cast deserve that at least. 8/10

  • CinemaSerf
    CinemaSerf
    7 Jun 13, 2022

    James Whale really did put together an excellent cast for this comic horror film. On a foul night; five stranded travellers seek shelter in a creepy old Welsh manor house - occupied by the even creepier "Femm" family and their almost anthropoid servant "Morgan" (Boris Karloff). As the evening progresses, lots of drink is taken and we meet the servant's pyromaniac brother and mayhem ensues. There are super performances from Melvyn Douglas, Ernest Thesiger and Raymond Massey with Eva Moore as the horrid "Rebecca" and a fantastically over-the-top Charles Laughton as "Sir William Porterhouse". The sets are a bit on the basic side and the lighting could have done with some more wattage, but it is all eerily directed with a plenty of wit and charm - well worth a watch.

Trailers & Clips

Recommendations

Fear in the Night

It took Peggy Heller a long time to recover from the trauma of a brutal physical assault, suffered in her youth. When she married Robert, he provided her with the love and reassurance she craved for and the two settled down in a pretty house in the grounds of the public school where Robert was a master. But the headmaster of the school is not what he seems and Peggy is convinced he means to harm her - is her fear a figment of her tortured imagination or are there forces at work that intend to manipulate her anxieties with fatal consequences?

Fear in the Night

5.8 1972