The Horror of It All (1964)

American salesman Jack Robinson falls in love with Englishwoman Cynthia Marley and they visit her family so he can ask for permission to marry her. She points out to him that her relatives ... See full summary »

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writer:

Ray Russell

Stars:

Pat Boone, Erica Rogers, Dennis Price

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Pat Boone	...	John J. 'Jack' Robinson
Erica Rogers	...	Cynthia Marley
Dennis Price	...	Cornwallis Marley
Andree Melly	...	Natalia Marley (as Andrée Melly)
Valentine Dyall	...	Reginald Marley
Jack Bligh	...	Percival Marley
Archie Duncan	...	Muldoon Marley
Erik Chitty	...	Grandpa Marley
Oswald Laurence	...	Doctor

Storyline

American salesman Jack Robinson falls in love with Englishwoman Cynthia Marley and they visit her family so he can ask for permission to marry her. She points out to him that her relatives are rather eccentric and, by the way, a cousin has just died. The remaining members of the clan are; the sinister Reginal; Percival, an inventor who has recently discovered electricity, the phonograph, and several other handy items; Natalia, a macabre, vampire-like creature; Cornwallis, a hammy and dapper ex-actor; Grandfather, who lies bedridden upstairs; and, by the way, Muldoon, who is kept locked up in the fear that he will harm someone. Several attempts are made on his life which leads Jack to believe that the Marleys are a shade past eccentric. He becomes convinced that he is just in the way of one of the Marley's attempts to do away with the other Marleys, especially, during his investigation of the vanishing Marleys, when he learns that the family fortune consists of one million dollars and ...

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 August 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Casa dos Fantasmas

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lippert Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

As Jack is trapped in the room with the ceiling going down him, he calls for help several times but his lips don't move.

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Quotes

John J. 'Jack' Robinson: [members of the family are discussing the drinks] Oh? What do you like to drink?
Natalia Marley: Bloody Marys!

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Connections

Featured in Shiver & Shudder Show (2002)

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Soundtracks

"The Horror of it All"
Written and Sung by Pat Boone

User Reviews

The temptation to dismiss this horror comedy is strong, but itspedigree is impossible to ignore.

This film, almost impossible to find today, has received a bad rap since its day of release, and maybe before, since the distributors put it on the bottom of a double bill with Lon Chaney's "Witchcraft." The temptation to dismiss this film is strong, but its pedigree is impossible to ignore. Genre master Terence Fisher is at the helm, during his unofficial banishment from Hammer Films; Ray Russell wrote the script; and the cast includes Valentine Dyall from "Horror Hotel"/"City of the Dead", Andree Melly, one of the "Brides of Dracula" and British stalwart Dennis Price, just beginning his flirtation with the horror genre.

So what went wrong?

The film's greatest offense is undoubtedly that it was made in black & white during the era when movies were going all-color in a big way. It's co-feature likewise; and that was a film that everyone liked and it still slipped into obscurity.

The casting of Pat Boone has stuck in the craws of many horror fans but, truthfully, he's as palatable as Tom Poston is in "Zotz" and 1963's "The Old Dark House". And Boone's boyish screen persona is just right for the kind of hapless hero he plays here. He does sing a totally unnecessary song, however.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this film is its similarity to two other films made about the same time: Hammer's "The Old Dark House", made the same year, and "What A Carve Up" (AKA "There's No Place Like Homicide") from 1962. The plot similarities, especially with the Hammer film, are so strong that it's a wonder how the persons concerned avoided lawsuits.