Title: The Old Dark House

Date: 1932
Type: Drama / Suspense
Rating: 4/5
Colour: Black and White
Director: James Whale
Producer: Carl Laemmle Jr

Comment
Five people are caught in a storm and take refuge in a large remote mansion owned by a strange family and their butler. As the strangers explore their personal relationships, they find out more about the family but have to decide which version of the family history is true if they are to survive the night.There is a good performance from Boris Karloff as the monster like butler, with good support from Melvyn Douglas and Charles Laughton. There is a fun performance from Gloria Stuart who early on gets wet and so changes clothes into a long white gown that is elegant, but inappropriate for the situation. However it does mean she stands out in her scenes as the film shot in the dark as it is a stormy night. Although a sound film, there are parts that are filmed more like a silent film, including a scene where Gloria Stuart makes shapes on the wall from the light of the fire behind her. Well made and entertaining.
Actors
Boris Karloff
Melvyn Douglas
Charles Laughton
Lillian Bond
Ernest Thesiger
Eva Moore
Raymond Massey
Gloria Stuart
John Dudgeon
Brember Wills
Oscars
None
From the novel by
J B Priestly