Anne (beautiful Natasha Parry) is on top of the world, she is about to marry Robert Amour (stolid Donald Houston) the man of her dreams - but after only a week's acquaintance, how would she know?? When she meets his dying neighbour at the hospital for all the elderly woman's agitation, the message is clear - keep away from Crow Hollow!!
Yes, it is one of those "gloomy old house" mysteries with Parry as a young bride trying to find her way out of a treacherous domestic situation - but if you haven't seen it before, the ending is quite a surprise! Donald Houston seems to sleep walk through his part, it is left up to Parry to carry all the emotions of the film and she does a great job.
She goes to Crow Hollow, Robert is definite about that as he'd promised his grandfather that the house would be his, on condition that he makes a home for his three aunts. And what aunts they are - there's Judith (daffy Esma Cannon from "The Rag Trade") with her strange love of spiders, Hester - no nonsense and a strict believer in diet and fussy, house proud Opal. Then there is sulky, uppity Willow (Pat Owens), the maid, only she is more than a maid, she is treated like a petted daughter and her insolence irks Anne ("are you sure this is the latest London fashion, seems a bit dowdy to me"). There is the spider incident where Judith's deadly spider somehow finds itself on Anne's shoulder, then the poison affair where a pot of bracing broth that she is given after being caught in the rain has her fighting for her life!!
By now Anne is so demoralized that she decides to leave for London but at the station she meets Diana who tells her what she knows about the family's history and persuades her to return. It all hinges on Willow and her mysterious past - her father was the old gardener but who was her mother?? Unfortunately Anne returns to find Willow has been murdered but seeing she was in Anne's room wearing Anne's dress and new hat, Anne thinks she is safe in assuming that she and not Willow was meant to be the target!!
I've read pretty grim things about this movie in a few books but it's definitely not that bad and worth a look.
Yes, it is one of those "gloomy old house" mysteries with Parry as a young bride trying to find her way out of a treacherous domestic situation - but if you haven't seen it before, the ending is quite a surprise! Donald Houston seems to sleep walk through his part, it is left up to Parry to carry all the emotions of the film and she does a great job.
She goes to Crow Hollow, Robert is definite about that as he'd promised his grandfather that the house would be his, on condition that he makes a home for his three aunts. And what aunts they are - there's Judith (daffy Esma Cannon from "The Rag Trade") with her strange love of spiders, Hester - no nonsense and a strict believer in diet and fussy, house proud Opal. Then there is sulky, uppity Willow (Pat Owens), the maid, only she is more than a maid, she is treated like a petted daughter and her insolence irks Anne ("are you sure this is the latest London fashion, seems a bit dowdy to me"). There is the spider incident where Judith's deadly spider somehow finds itself on Anne's shoulder, then the poison affair where a pot of bracing broth that she is given after being caught in the rain has her fighting for her life!!
By now Anne is so demoralized that she decides to leave for London but at the station she meets Diana who tells her what she knows about the family's history and persuades her to return. It all hinges on Willow and her mysterious past - her father was the old gardener but who was her mother?? Unfortunately Anne returns to find Willow has been murdered but seeing she was in Anne's room wearing Anne's dress and new hat, Anne thinks she is safe in assuming that she and not Willow was meant to be the target!!
I've read pretty grim things about this movie in a few books but it's definitely not that bad and worth a look.