Review #1,384: 'The Old Dark House' (1932)

James Whale's The Old Dark House had a somewhat troubled journey from box-office disappointment to modern re-discovery. After the success of Frankenstein in 1931, Universal Studios brought screenwriter Benn W. Levy - who had worked with Whale on Waterloo Bridge - over from Britain to work on adapting J.B. Priestley's novel Benighted. The result was The Old Dark House, a gothic horror with added levels of comedy that opened to positive reviews, although negative word-of-mouth for audiences led to underwhelming box-office takings in the U.S. It fared better in Britain, but the damage was already done, and The Old Dark House was locked away in Universal's vaults for decades. The negatives lay there for so long that it was considered a lost film, until William Castle's 1963 remake reignited interest in the film and Whale's friend Curtis Harrington pestered Universal until the original reel was found. It was in a terrible state of decay, but a restoration was funded and the rest is history.

When The Old Dark House finally saw the light of day again, horror fans rejoiced, although I doubt the film was anything like they had imagined. Running at just over an hour in length and with little to truly raise the goosebumps, Whale's gothic tale of a bunch of stranded travellers is a true oddity indeed. Husband and wife Philip (Raymond Massey) and Margaret Waverton (Gloria Stuart), along with their friend Roger Penderel (Melvyn Douglas), are driving in the Welsh countryside during a dangerously heavy storm. As landslides and a waterlogged road start to make their journey impossible, they stop at the first house they see: the old, dark house of the title. At the door, they are greeted by the building's most terrifying resident, the grunting, hulking servant Morgan (Boris Karloff). Nevertheless, they seek a bed, or even a chair, to rest for the night. They are welcomed by the gaunt and timid Horace Femm (Ernest Thesiger), but are met with steeliness by his sister Rebecca (Eva Moore), who is keen to hound the group with warnings of sin and 'pleasures of the flesh'. The Femms are clearly a strange clan, but they aren't the only Femms in the house, and when Morgan gets his hands on a bottle of booze, the party are in for an interesting night.

What The Old Dark House lacks in genuine frights and thrills is countered by an abundance of thick gothic atmosphere. In fact, the film works much better as an off-kilter comedy than it does as anything resembling what you would normally expect of a 1930's Universal production. Things perk up as the Femm's household is called upon by two more weary travellers, the buoyant businessman Sir William Porterhouse (Charles Laughton in his first Hollywood film) and chorus girl Gladys (a lovely Lilian Bond). Laughton threatens to swallow up any scene he appears in, but his presence adds a layer of amusement as events get even weirder. As Roger and Gladys embark on a somewhat strange love affair (one would assume Gladys and William are an item since they arrived together), the film takes on a romantic angle that feels neither forced nor unnecessary. Whale somehow manages to balance all these elements while maintaining the mystery of the Femm household, teasing the presence of something all the more sinister and dark locked away upstairs. Whale gently lampoons the genre without making a mockery out of it, and The Old Dark House can even be interpreted as one of the very first spoofs. Karloff impresses in a physical role not too different from his Frankenstein's monster, receiving top billing for his efforts. But this is very much an ensemble effort, and the cast gel together to create one of the most original horrors of its day, and a real treat for buffs of the genre.


Directed by: James Whale
Starring: Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Lilian Bond, Ernest Thesiger, Eva Moore, Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie