The Shuttered Room (1967)

A series of horrific murders is traced to a creature that inhabits a very strange house.

Director:

David Greene

Writers:

August Derleth (book), D.B. Ledrov

Stars:

Oliver Reed, Gig Young, Carol Lynley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gig Young	...	Mike Kelton
Carol Lynley	...	Susannah Whately Kelton / Sarah
Oliver Reed	...	Ethan
Flora Robson	...	Aunt Agatha
Judith Arthy	...	Emma
Rick Jones	...	Luther Whately
Ann Bell	...	Mary Whately, Susannah's Mother
William Devlin	...	Zebulon Whately
Charles Lloyd Pack	...	Barge Master
Bernard Kay	...	Tait
Celia Hewitt	...	Aunt Sarah
Robert Cawdron	...	John Whately, Susannah's Father
Murray Evans	...	Gang Member
Cliff Diggins	...	Gang Member (as Clifford Diggins)
Peter Porteous	...	Gang Member

Storyline

In a small island off the American coast, the Whateleys live in an old mill where a mysterious bloody being creates an atmosphere of horror. After her parents get killed by lightning, young Susannah is sent to New York by her aunt Agatha, who wants her to avoid the family curse. Years later Susannah, now married, persuades her husband to spend a holiday in the abandoned mill. Once on the island, Susannah and Mike soon find themselves exposed to the hostility of a gang of thugs led by Ethan, Susannah's brutal cousin...

---

Plot Keywords:

aunt | female stockinged legs | suntan pantyhose | pantyhose | putting on stockings | 

---

Taglines:

Sleep one night in the house with the shuttered room and you may never want to sleep again... (original theatrical poster)

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 February 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blood Island

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Seven Arts Productions, Troy-Schenck Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally offered to director Ken Russell, who turned the project down. David Greene, a successful TV director, took it on because, in his late 40s, he thought it a last chance to get away from TV and into movies; he was, however, greatly dissatisfied with the script and it was being rewritten right up to the end of filming.

---

Goofs

Throughout the movie the two rear windows of the Thunderbird are alternately up or down. This happens often in the same scene. It is first noticeable as they back off the ferry. As they back up, the passenger side rear window is up and the driver's is down. But as they as turning around upon leaving the ferry, the driver's side rear window is up and the passenger's is down. This becomes very noticeable throughout the film.

---

Connections

Featured in Trailer Trauma 2: Drive-In Monsterama (2016)

User Reviews

Oliver Reed, the true "Phantom Menace", does it again...

I saw this film years ago when it used to air on independent TV stations in the afternoon & haven't seen it since. Pity because this is a good film. Unfortunately, it never made it to video.

In the early years of Reed's career he did mostly horror films where he was the "true Phantom Menace". He had a distintive glare that became his trademark. Well, he shows all that & then some in this film. This story centers around insanity, murder & family skeletons in the closet or in this case, in the shuttered room.

If you like "Jane Eyre", I think you will like this one.