Dark Places (1973)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Don Sharp

Writers:

Ed Brennan (writer)
Joseph Van Winkle (writer)

Release Date:

May 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

There is more than death waiting for you in Dark Places.

Plot:

A scheming couple plot to conceal a hidden cache of stolen money from its rightful owner. The only problem is that the house they plan to hide it in is haunted. |

Plot Keywords:

Occult | Beautiful Woman | Supernatural | Mental Illness | Murder

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Dr. Mandeville
Joan Collins	...	Sarah
Robert Hardy	...	Edward / Andrew
Herbert Lom	...	Prescott
Jane Birkin	...	Alta
Carleton Hobbs	...	Old Marr
Jennifer Thanisch	...	Jessica
Michael McVey	...	Francis
Jean Marsh	...	Victoria
Martin Boddey	...	Police sergeant
Roy Evans	...	Baxter
John Glyn-Jones	...	Bank manager
John Levene	...	Doctor
Barry Linehan	...	Gatekeeper
Linda Gray	...	Woman on hill

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:-12 | USA:PG | Iceland:(Banned)

Company:

Glenbergh

Not too bad but not memorable enough

"Dark Places" tells of a man who inherits a house that is reputed to contain a stash of money hidden somewhere by the original owner. The new owner moves in, despite warnings from local people that the house is cursed, and enthusiastically begins hunting for the loot. Unfortunately for him, there are other people trying to get to the cash before he does, but worse still, the house really is haunted.

"Dark Places" is a moderately successful film that does a good job of weaving a mystery with it's storyline. The acting is also all pretty good, and with such star names as Christopher Lee and Joan Collins, it's amazing that this isn't one of the major British horror films of the 1970's, but once it gets going you'll soon realise that, as with a lot of other UK horror films of this period, the chances of something significantly exciting happening are pretty slim.

What doesn't help is having the lead character played by Robert Hardy, who, while being an excellent actor and playing the character well, just does not have the "leading man" quality required to carry the entire focus of the film. Joan Collinsd and Christopher Lee look great in their supporting roles, but then again, they always do. What does work well is the way the film starts to move between present day and flashback as Hardy starts to uncover more of the truth about what went on in the house before it's original owner died, and what the truth is behind all the stories of murder. The flashback scenes are great, and they reminded me the great things some 1970's films from the UK could do with a period setting. Look out for a fantastic cameo from Jean Marsh as the wife in the flashbacks, although many men may be more entranced by the young Jane Birkin as the governess, even though she doesn't do very much.

Sadly there's no real meat on this bony story, but it does have a couple of mildly grisly scenes and a kind of surprise ending, so it's fairly enjoyable.