The Old Dark House (1932)

“Laughter and sin….”

With a cast that featured Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Lilian Bond, and the director James Whale, you’d think that 1932’s The Old Dark House would have been a massive hit. Instead, it fell through the cracks of cinematic history and was believed to be lost at one point. I only recently discovered the film while searching for 1930s films on Amazon Prime. I’m glad that I found it.

The film takes place in Wales on a terribly stormy night. The storm is so bad, in fact, that a young couple, Philip and Margaret Waverton, (Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart), and their friend, Penderel (Douglas), are forced to seek shelter at a dark and mysterious home in the Welsh countryside. Their hosts are Horace and Rebecca Femm (Ernest Thesiger, Eva Moore), an odd pair of siblings that seem to be hiding something, and their loyal but mute butler, Morgan (Karloff). Later in the evening, another couple arrive seeking shelter from the storm. The duo are Sir William Porterhouse (Charles Laughton) and his companion, Gladys Ducane (Bond). As the group get to know one another, it becomes obvious that there is something very sinister going on at the Femm homestead. The storm rages on as certain members of the group pair off and others deal with psychological terror. Throw in an insane third member of the Femm family and you’ve got a nice mixture of mayhem.

The cast do fine jobs in their respective roles. Titanic (1997) fans may recognize Stuart, who would go on to portray the elderly version of Rose in that film. Douglas, Laughton, and Massey also deliver solid performances. Moore is wonderfully wicked as the twisted Rebecca Femm, and almost steals the show if it weren’t for the performance of the beautiful Lilian Bond. She demands your attention whenever she’s on the screen. She’s a timeless beauty that shines to this day. Sadly, Karloff doesn’t have much to do in this film except lurch about while terrorizing pretty much anyone in his path.

The film is far from James Whale’s best work, but it is a serviceable horror film. Unlike other Universal films of the time, the horror doesn’t live within a monster, it’s in the minds of the group trapped in the Femm home. I definitely recommend checking out this flick. It’s a fun ride with a great cast.

Thanks for checking out my review.