Chatter Box Film

Released by Eureka Video, this is a review for the new 4K UHD Blu-ray disc of the now reputable film ‘The Old Dark House‘, that has garnered a renewed critical acclaim following a period of dormancy.

The Old Dark House (1932) was released by Universal Pictures and comes at a mysterious crossroads of genre cross-pollination and a film whose success relied upon the cultural and socio-economic climate of the Great Depression of the early 1930s. 

The film is based upon a novel by J. B. Preistley (An Inspector Calls), a murder mystery in the same vein as his contemporary Agatha Christie, where strangers seek shelter in a ghostly manor as the heavens open above them. 

At the time of production, murder mysteries were a staple of film content, however this film based upon an English novel directed by an Englishman in James Whale, was found to be stuffy and creaky and not wanted by the American audiences seeking escapism amidst the growing despair and unknowing of the Depression. 

The failure at the box office prompted a change in direction by Universal towards more of the fantastical and science fiction horrors which would become staples of film history ranging from Shelley’s Frankenstein to Wells’ The Invisible Man, both helmed by Whale. 

This film can be considered the thin meat between those two films, on the surface wafer thin then soaked up by the thick doorstops of those two more well-known adaptations with a side portion of pickled onions.

For all the lack of box office success the film had, this does a disservice to the film as it is a wonderful creation of atmosphere and mood. Barring the opening string laden credits, there is no music or score within the film. The whole film exists as a mood piece, a virtuosic display of craft and direction.

It helps in having quite a stellar cast at his disposal. From Karloff as the Lurch like mute butler, to Melvin Howard as the happy-go-lucky American along with Raymond Massey and Gloria Stuart (yes old Rose from Titanic) and Charles Laughton as an impolite Yorkshireman. Pound for pound this is one of the better casts in 1930s cinema with two future Oscar winners amongst them.

This creation of an atmosphere makes for an unsettling experience not dissimilar to that of experiencing a theatrical play. Perhaps that is one of the reasons the film did not connect with the American audience due to this theatricality and British sense of humour that had not quite crossed over the Atlantic, at the time. The tongue in cheek nature will become more pronounced when Cary Grant is more prominent and familiar to cinemagoers by the end of the decade. 

Whale’s caustic humour was to appear in his later works such as Bride of Frankenstein and would later be played for laughs with Abbott & Costello and Bob Hope ribbing the tropes of his works in 1940s comedy films.

The Old Dark House is a rich text and one of those unseen films ripe for rediscovery by new audiences and horror aficionados.

Amidst the new disc release is some great essays by esteemed scholars and filmmaker David Cairns, commentary tracks by critic Kim Newman and Stephen Jones, an interview with Sara Karloff (Boris’ daughter) amongst others.

The Old Dark House is released by Eureka Entertainment on 28th July. My thanks to them for the review opportunity.