I wasn't a fan of "The Old Dark House" upon first viewing but I did watch it at four o'clock in the morning while drifting in and out of consciousness. Upon second viewing, I remember why. The film introduces the main characters in the worse way possible: Crowded into a car, driving through the Welsh countryside in the middle of a hurricane. The driver and the female co-pilot bicker while the guy in the backside provides unhelpful quips. This endears them to the audience.
Once they get the titular house, things pick up. It's fairly obvious James Whale is more interested in the dysfunctional family. The religious fanatic sister argues endlessly with the rationalist brother. (Played by Ernest Thesiger in what was, no doubt, a test run for Dr. Pretorius) Soon, another group of travelers wander in. The film goes about pairing the men and women from both groups with each other. Film scholars looking for gay subtext: Feel free to speculate on why Charles Laughton, closeted in real life, plays a man who lives with a woman he has no sexual interest in. The romantic dialogue is actually rather realistic and Melvyn Douglas and Lillian Bond have good chemistry, likewise Gloria Stuart and Raymond Massey. The dialogue is catty but never laugh-inducing. While the film is considered a landmark horror/comedy, the comedy doesn't register much for me. The climax is wrapped up a little too neatly. Aside from two characters I'll get to in a minute, none of the demented family are a real threat. The house guests are never in much danger. Over all, "The Old Dark House" doesn't quite gel for me.
But still, there are some fantastic moments. The house is a creepy location. The flat stone walls are often painted with shadows of staircase rails, looking like bars on a cage. The diner table scene, featuring a fantastic sarcastic prayer from Thesiger, is the funniest moment. Karloff doesn't distinguish the deaf/mute/alcoholic/prototype for Lurch character of Morgan too much from the Frankenstein Monster but is, undoubtedly, an unnerving presence. The scene where Stuart, glamorous in a white nightgown, is threatened by the drunken monster is classic stuff. The centennial patriarch of the home is played by a woman in drag in an odd, memorable decision. The best scene in the movie has got to be the moment when Sister Femm berates Stuart for her "sinner's lifestyle," the camera frequently cutting to her distorted reflection in a series of mirrors.
The movie has a real ace up its sleeve for the final act. Sol, the crazed brother locked up in the attic, appears suddenly at the end. Though playing the victim at first, he makes it abundantly clear just how insane he is very quickly. A near miss with a thrown knife and the pyromania that follows are an appropriately exciting finale. To be perfectly honest though, the image of a heart-broken Morgan picking up the dead body of his brother is almost heartbreaking and evokes the same monster love Whale showed in his "Frankenstein" films.
I'm sure Whale delighted in making such a queer, in both meanings of the word, film. The combination of macabre elements, humor, and family politics doesn't quite mesh with but the cast is rightly lauded and several singular moments stand out.
Once they get the titular house, things pick up. It's fairly obvious James Whale is more interested in the dysfunctional family. The religious fanatic sister argues endlessly with the rationalist brother. (Played by Ernest Thesiger in what was, no doubt, a test run for Dr. Pretorius) Soon, another group of travelers wander in. The film goes about pairing the men and women from both groups with each other. Film scholars looking for gay subtext: Feel free to speculate on why Charles Laughton, closeted in real life, plays a man who lives with a woman he has no sexual interest in. The romantic dialogue is actually rather realistic and Melvyn Douglas and Lillian Bond have good chemistry, likewise Gloria Stuart and Raymond Massey. The dialogue is catty but never laugh-inducing. While the film is considered a landmark horror/comedy, the comedy doesn't register much for me. The climax is wrapped up a little too neatly. Aside from two characters I'll get to in a minute, none of the demented family are a real threat. The house guests are never in much danger. Over all, "The Old Dark House" doesn't quite gel for me.
But still, there are some fantastic moments. The house is a creepy location. The flat stone walls are often painted with shadows of staircase rails, looking like bars on a cage. The diner table scene, featuring a fantastic sarcastic prayer from Thesiger, is the funniest moment. Karloff doesn't distinguish the deaf/mute/alcoholic/prototype for Lurch character of Morgan too much from the Frankenstein Monster but is, undoubtedly, an unnerving presence. The scene where Stuart, glamorous in a white nightgown, is threatened by the drunken monster is classic stuff. The centennial patriarch of the home is played by a woman in drag in an odd, memorable decision. The best scene in the movie has got to be the moment when Sister Femm berates Stuart for her "sinner's lifestyle," the camera frequently cutting to her distorted reflection in a series of mirrors.
The movie has a real ace up its sleeve for the final act. Sol, the crazed brother locked up in the attic, appears suddenly at the end. Though playing the victim at first, he makes it abundantly clear just how insane he is very quickly. A near miss with a thrown knife and the pyromania that follows are an appropriately exciting finale. To be perfectly honest though, the image of a heart-broken Morgan picking up the dead body of his brother is almost heartbreaking and evokes the same monster love Whale showed in his "Frankenstein" films.
I'm sure Whale delighted in making such a queer, in both meanings of the word, film. The combination of macabre elements, humor, and family politics doesn't quite mesh with but the cast is rightly lauded and several singular moments stand out.