The Old Dark House (1963)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

William Castle

Writers:

Robert Dillon (writer)
J.B. Priestley (novel)

Release Date:

31 October 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror | Comedy

Plot:

An American who sells cars in England receives a mysterious invitation from an old, excentric millionaire...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

Tom Poston	...	Tom Penderel
Robert Morley	...	Roderick Femm
Janette Scott	...	Cecily Femm
Joyce Grenfell	...	Agatha Femm
Mervyn Johns	...	Petiphar Femm
Fenella Fielding	...	Morgana Femm
Peter Bull	...	Caspar Femm / Jasper Femm
Danny Green	...	Morgan Femm
John Harvey	...	Club Receptionist

Runtime:

USA:86 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

William Castle Productions

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Jasper claims his mother "never spent a penny!", the dubbed word we hear is 'penny', yet the word he clearly says with his mouth is 'farthing', probably because American audiences would not understand what a 'farthing' is.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Old Dark House (1932)

Oranges and lemons...

Owing little to either James Whale's 1932 chiller, or to J.B. Priestly's original source novel, "Benighted", THE OLD DARK HOUSE is a small, off-beat and pleasantly daffy scare-comedy, a change-of-pace for director William Castle. Filmed and set in England, Tom Poston stars as a hapless American who, on a visit to a curious roommate's even curiouser family home, is caught up in a murderous merry-go-round of mayhem, nursery rhymes, love and (very possibly) the end of the world (including an Ark!). British stalwarts Robert Morley, Joyce Grenfell, Mervyn Johns, and Peter Bull have a charming good time playing the various members of the Femm family, along with Janette Scott and an unforgettably slinky Fenella Fielding as romantic interests. None of the usual Castle gimmicks for this release--just a bit of eccentricity and a pleasant, creepy, multi-murder mystery, with a puzzle to solve, a couple of surprises, and some good solid chuckles.

A note to fans of Charles Addams--the film's poster and its main titles contain some choice Addams artwork.

An additional note: the film was shot in color, but released in a very faintly tinted black-and-white version. The color version of the film was only seen on subsequent television release.

This movie really does deserve a DVD release, not only for its place in the William Castle canon, but for the performances and the fun.