The Old Dark House backdrop
The Old Dark House poster

THE OLD DARK HOUSE

1932 • US HMDB
October 20, 1932

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

Directors

James Whale

Cast

Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Lilian Bond, Ernest Thesiger, Eva Moore, Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart, Elspeth Dudgeon, Brember Wills
Dramma Horror Thriller

REVIEWS (1)

MC

Marco Castellini

•
A group of people, due to a violent downpour, are forced to take refuge in an isolated and gloomy-looking house; the inhabitants of the house are also rather strange: there is a massive and semi-deformed butler and two elderly people, brother and sister, who seem to have lost their minds. But much more horrible are the secrets that house hides… One of the first films dedicated to "cursed houses" and also one of the first horrors in the history of cinema. Masterfully directed by James Whale and starring the icon of 1930s horror Boris Karloff (who appears in the role of the butler) "The old dark house" is certainly one of the best products of the horror filmography of those years. The use of dim lights (candles or small lights) and shadow play manage to infuse suspense into the film, if you add to this a series of mysterious and gloomy characters (the terrible butler Karloff, the old witch, the madman locked in the attic) you will understand why this film still manages to instill fear today. Worth rediscovering, even if quite difficult to find.