James Whale - The Old Dark House

The tale of a group of stranded travelers who stumble upon a strange old house, and find themselves at the mercy of the highly eccentric, and potentially dangerous, Femm family. This well-performed, atmospheric thriller features the first credited starring role for Boris Karloff, as the hulking, disfigured butler. Whale’s trademark witty dialogue and sense of eerie gothic menace make for a memorable dark and stormy night by one of America’s finest purveyors of the classic horror film.

A macabre comedy in which Karloff plays a secondary role (a character inserted by the studio is more distracting than clarifying, maybe a red herring) in a house where nothing works. The couple who welcomes the unfortunate people taking shelter from a thunderstorm are unforgettable. Ernest Thesiger, whose way of offering a potato is high in undertones, makes one shiver; Eva Moore, his sister, is a fanatical Christian who is constantly shouting “No beds, no beds.” Gloria Stuart is as lovely as ever; Mervyn Douglas caustic and smart.

Bertrand Tavernier