The Old Dark House (1963) User Reviews

Oranges and lemons...

[Jweybrew · 6/10 · 1 June 2008]

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.

Amusing and entertaining camp horror-thriller!

[Snake-666 · 6/10 · 15 August 2003]

In this creepy horror-comedy directed by William Castle we meet Tom Penderel (Tom Poston), an American residing in England from where he sells cars. During a visit to a casino, where he informs his eccentric flatmate Caspar Femm (Peter Bull) that Tom has now acquired for Caspar a brand new American car, Tom is invited to Femm House, home of Caspar and his family. Reluctantly he accepts the invitation and makes his way to Femm House, only to find murder and very creepy family.

The rating on IMDb for 'The Old Dark House' (1963) simply is not an accurate assessment of this films quality in my opinion. Though quite obviously camp and with a unique charm all of its own this movie delivers an entertaining storyline and amusing comic scenes from beginning to end. Upon encountering the oddball charm of Caspar it becomes apparent that this horror movie is not going to be an all out scarefest, in fact its quality lies in the intermingling of a tight `whodunit' thriller with so many humorous sequences.

Tom Poston is cast perfectly as the nervous American trying desperately to make sense of the madness going on around him and his continuing encounters with overprotective and psychotic father Morgan Femm (Danny Green) make for some of the best comedy I have seen in a horror movie for a long time. The whole Femm family have a distinctly creepy charm to them from the gun-nut Uncle Roderick (an inspired performance from Robert Morley) to the charmingly deranged Petiphar (Mervyn Johns). Also worth noting is the performance from Janette Scott (The Day of the Triffiads) as the sweet and innocent Cecily Femm.

'The Old Dark House' is a wonderfully accomplished camp, horror-thriller in my opinion. The storyline is entertaining throughout and the comedy does not seem forced but instead works as a light-hearted diversion from what was actually an interesting and slightly complex plot. All this is complimented by a beautifully arranged and often apt musical score. While not really delivering any scares 'The Old Dark House' delivers entertainment and is certainly worth watching in my opinion. Despite some rather suspect special effects (though considering the year it was made one can hardly hold poor effects against it) and camp quality I recommend this to horror fans. My rating for 'The Old Dark House' (1963) - 7.5/10

Some mild laughs and chills in this one.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 2 October 2015]

In this second screen version of J.B. Priestleys' book, Tom Poston plays Tom Penderel, an American living in London who makes his living as a car salesman. He shares a flat with Caspar Femm (Peter Bull), who uses the place in the daytime while Tom sleeps there at night. One day Caspar implores Tom to come visit him at the Femm estate, which is up for grabs. Tom is then forced to deal with the wacky Femm family for one every eventful evening.

One would have expected a collaboration between gimmick master William Castle and Britains' legendary Hammer Studios to be more fun. It's more of a comedy than a horror film, and only a fitfully amusing one. There are some funny gags, but it just falls flat a lot of the time. It basically serves to make fun of the entire "old dark house" genre, complete with the expected tropes (like a dark, stormy night). It's decent light entertainment, but is eminently forgettable. It looks great, which is what the viewer expects from Hammer films (a lot of the crew are the usual Hammer suspects). But it doesn't have the level of atmosphere that's really required for most stories of this type.

The likable Poston leads a sterling British cast that helps to keep this version of "The Old Dark House" watchable for 87 minutes. Robert Morley is gun nut Roderick Femm, Janette Scott the striking blonde Cecily, Joyce Grenfell the doddering matriarch Agatha, Mervyn Johns the upbeat Potiphar, Fenella Fielding the slinky Morgana, and Danny Green the hulking, silent Morgan. (If Popeye had been turned into a live action feature in the 60s, Green might have made for a good Bluto.)

This kills time without too much pain, but it's far from grade A Castle *or* Hammer.

Title illustrations by Charles Addams.

Six out of 10.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall .

[Coventry · 5/10 · 17 July 2014]

One would expect a collaboration between the American director William Castle and the British production studios Hammer to result in a terrific must-see film, considering they were both horror genre giants in their respective continents during the early sixties. Castle became world famous and appreciated thanks to his morbidly themed but nevertheless light-headed Gothic horror spectacles ("House on Haunted Hill", "Mr. Sardonicus", "13 Ghosts"…), and on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Hammer studios boomed with the gruesome re-imaging of the legendary Universal classics from the thirties ("Dracula", "The Mummy", "Frankenstein"…). Knowing this, "The Old Dark House" seems to be the ideal marriage, since it's more or less a remake of the underrated 1932 Universal masterpiece and a great opportunity for a director like Castle to showcase his creativity. Strangely enough, however, the film is somewhat of a disappointment and it's only rescued from inglorious mediocrity thanks to a handful of nice gags and an entertaining final act; including a surprising plot-twist and an exciting race against the clock – literally! The rest of the film clumsily bounces back and forth between talkative mystery and immature comedy. Please don't get me wrong, "The Old Dark House" is never boring and I still prefer it over most of the soulless horror junk being released nowadays, but I simply expected a little bit more… American car salesman Tom Penderel drives out to the god-forsaken British countryside in order to deliver a car at the request of his odd pal Caspar Femm. The two share an apartment, but they never see each other since Caspar always mysteriously vanishes before midnight. When he arrives at the sinister Femm country estate, he learns that all the eccentric family members are obliged to stay at the house and gather at midnight, or otherwise they lose the rights to their part of the inheritance of their notorious ancestor (a pirate). Synchronous with Tom's arrival, the family members are being killed off one by one. Tom should leave while, but he fell for the charming cousin Cecily and the remaining Femms suspect him to be the killer. "The Old Dark House" begins delightfully, with animated opening credits by none other than Charles Addams – the creator of the immortal blackly comical series "The Addams Family – and brings forward several great Gothic aspects, like a moody old castle and never-ending thunderstorms. Some of the supportive characters are also uniquely bizarre, like the crazy uncle who's building an arc or the grandmother that doesn't stop knitting, but overall the film isn't absurd or spooky enough. The actual "horror" footage in the film is limited, a few inventive death scenes and a laughably inept moment with a stuffed hyena.

Not exactly good, but worth seeing...

[silvrdal · 7/10 · 8 October 2005]

Hadn't expected the rigmarole I'd have to go through to snag this film on video, several years ago. I'd seen this two or three times as a child and reveled in the dark comedy of it. The plot is silly, but it's not nearly as important as the production itself.

The charming performances by the many delightful character actors are the highlights of "The Old Dark House" -- Robert Morely, Joyce Grenfell, Peter Bull. Who would ever think that Tom Poston would appear as the romantic (?!) hero of a movie, but there he is. And Oo, that Fenella Fielding! What a dish!

This film isn't for everyone, but I'll never forget it, and neither will you!

An old, dark and disappointing house!

[The_Void · 4/10 · 5 February 2007]

Well, I'm a big fan of William Castle and of Hammer Horror, so I figured that this meeting between the two would be damn good. William Castle's The Old Dark House is not a remake of the classic James Whale film, and this is actually unfortunate because if it was, it no doubt would have been a better film. Instead, what we have is a plot involving an American car dealer who goes to an old house after receiving an invitation from a friend of his, who he shares a house with. While there, he is introduced to a host of strange characters, as well as a plot involving a huge inheritance. The film is obviously intended to be a comedy, but it would seem that Castle should have stuck to horror as little in this film is actually funny, and I was really bored before the ending - not something I expect from William Castle! Considering the film focuses on an 'old dark house', there's very little in the way of atmosphere and I'm guessing that Castle wanted this film to appeal to a younger audience, and for that reason - there's not much here for the older movie fan. The plot rambles on until the conclusion and by then I didn't really care what happened. Overall, this is a sub standard William Castle film if ever I saw one. Straight-Jacket, Homicidal, Mr Sardonicus, The Tingler, House on Haunted Hill and 13 Ghosts come highly recommended - this one doesn't!

I agree with Snake-666....

[colinwparker · 7/10 · 18 March 2019]

This film is definitely worth a higher rating, although of it's time, it is funny, not side-splitting or laugh-out-loud, but quaint in it's way, and Fenella Fielding is always worth watching - not quite up to 'Carry On Screaming', but as delectable and sexy as ever...

And in the final scenes, she most certainly says "Daddy" and NOT "Danny", as suggested in Goofs.

It's supposed to make you laugh....I didn't.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 26 October 2009]

As this film begins, you are bound to notice the wonderful opening credits done by Charles Addams. I do wonder if the hand is that of Addams, though! You have to see it to understand what I mean.

The film begins with an American (Tom Poston) being invited by his English friend to come to spend the weekend at his ancestral home in Dartmoor. However, once he arrives, he finds that his friend is dead--lying in state in the creepy old mansion. But, like any scary old house film, the car is damaged and unable to take him home AND the rain is so bad that he really can't leave. That is when the murders begin and it becomes obvious that the house is filled with a bunch of nuts.

The film is supposed to be a comedic remake of the classic 1932 film. However, I use the words 'supposed to' because rarely is the film particularly funny and the humor seems very, very forced. In many ways, it looks like a film that Sherwood Schwartz or Hanna-Barbera would have made--with perhaps the Brady kids or even Scooby Doo and Shaggy investigating. This combined with the fact that there have been too many old scary house films (such as AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, THE MONSTER, NUMBER SEVENTEEN, THE BLACK CAT and many, many others) make this one you don't need to rush out to see.

By the way, in one of the low-points of the film, a hyena is supposedly menacing Tom Poston. However, the camera shots of the hyena from the front clearly show it's a stuffed animal!! The rear shots are a dog!! Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.

Can William Castle Make a Bad Film? Seems Not.

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 21 February 2010]

Tom Penderel (Tom Poston) is invited to stay at the Femm household... which seems all fine and good until a big storm comes and it is revealed that the family has its share of eccentricities. Not the least of which is the idea that it's time to build an ark.

Director and producer William Castle seems to do no wrong. He has taken an old story, one that was previously made into a dark film in the 1930s, and added his own brand of humor and madness. And who better than Tom Poston to be the star? His slapstick comedy blends in perfectly as he interacts with the amorous Morgana and makes good use of trap doors.

If you're looking for a horror film, this really is not the film for you. There's nothing scary about it. But it is a fine film from a horror master, and there is the threat of death. For, you see, an inheritance is on the line and it would be to each family member's advantage if the others were not to survive.

Please pick up the William Castle box set from Sony and Columbia Pictures. There is not a bad film in the box.

The Old Dark House ready for return to television?

[cutshall0 · 9/10 · 17 August 2005]

The Old Dark House does not provide the gore and R-rated material seen in today's horror movies but it does reflect a more simple time when comedy and horror could be matched while maintaining a family rating.

As a child I saw The Old Dark House over one hundred times, I remember being on the edge of my chair during the entire movie every single sitting.If only the local television stations would be able to air this movie, a new generation of viewers could enjoy, The Old Dark House.

The film may be the last of the "old age" comedies that were popular during that time. Tom Poston does a good job of not only showing fear but does so in comedy style to allow us, the viewers, to use our imagination.

While The Old Dark House may not live up to today's standards, it was a "movie of the day" in 1963.

Stalin dies, and a million fans of this film are born

[LobotomousMonk · 6/10 · 25 February 2013]

Zotz!.. another William Castle and Tom Poston lighthearted dark adventure for all ages. Amusing quips and snappy banter abound. There are some plot contrivances (typically par for the Castle course). The Old Dark House would surely have been better suited for black and white film stock as the milieu is inherently sinister. That being said the full color palette does tend to heighten the humor elements of the story as Poston's pink puppy dog cheeks remind us of how sweet and naive a witless hero can be. However, the chromatic compromise confounds establishment of mood and thus character motivation. A third of the duration of the film passes prior to the formation of a real clue about the plot (which according to other reviewers holds little sway in the realm of fidelity to the original Priestly story or Whale film from the thirties). The staging/blocking and mobile framing are not constructed with any technical finesse or creative flair. I tend to find that Castle's best directing efforts are inspired by higher quality scripts he works with. For Castle, when the storytelling stammers his direction staggers and his authorial voice goes mute. There are shades of this crutch in The Old Dark House. Similar to Zotz!, Poston plays a character that reminds one of Leonid Gaidai's Shurik character - fumbling and bumbling through the simplest of tasks, getting himself into trouble way over his head, and gallantly dodging sexy, seductive women who throw themselves at him bosom to face. If you wanted to probe and plumb this film for some deeper value, try a psychoanalytic approach (either Freud or Lacan will do). Personally, I wouldn't bother... but you never know. As it stands, this is an amusing film that is best watched while doing something more important.

Just silly--kids might like it

[preppy-3 · 2/10 · 13 May 2004]

Tom Poston ends up in an old dark house in England during a huge storm. Inside lives a very weird family called the Femms. They're all hoping to get a huge inheritance--but only one must still be living. During the night, they all start getting killed off. The phones are dead, the roads are washed out--who will survive till day?

I had good memories seeing this as a kid on Saturday afternoon TV. I remembered it being funny and only scary at the very end when someone has a machete held to their throat! Seeing in now I can't figure out why I liked it.

The plot is dumb and ALL of the comedy is either childish or stupid--I didn't crack a smile once. The murders are bloodless and supposed to be funny (they aren't). Some of the acting is good. Poston is very good playing the straight man basically. Robert Morley hams it up as the head of the household. Janette Scott has the thankless "good girl" part (but plays it well) and Fanella Fielding REALLY chews the scenery as the bad girl Morgana. The script drags, the revelation of the killer is no surprise and there's tons of very unfunny slapstick. It's also VERY loud. Kids might like this--adults probably won't. I expected more from a co-production between William Castle and Hammer Studios.

Trivia note: For some reason this was released theatrically in black & white...it's in color on TV.

A Dead-End "William Castle" Whodunit/Comedy.

[strong-122-478885 · 3/10 · 3 September 2014]

Just like Castle's movie "Zotz!", The Old, Dark House was yet another inane farce that easily proved just how clueless this guy was at directing Comedy (more so than he was with directing Horror).

Once again (just like with "Zotz!") this less-than-funny, hare-brained story had the distinctive feel of being an imitation (a very poor imitation) of a typical Disney, family movie of the early 1960s. This film's targeted audience was that of children under 10 who obviously had very low expectations about what was entertaining and what wasn't.

This film certainly had all sorts of potential to be a really fun and humorous story for all ages. But it seemed that at the hands of such a clueless amateur like William Castle, its story just didn't come anywhere near to living up to that potential.

At every opportunity to generate some genuine laughs, Castle missed the mark, over and over again, and let its story fall flat on its face and flounder around in what seemed like a literal no-man's land of B-grade mediocrity.

I believe that The Old, Dark House was one of the few Castle films that was actually shot in colour.

This film's story is something of a "Whodunit". It involves the peculiar specifics of a family Will, the 7 eccentric relatives who all reside at Femm Hall (a grand, old, English mansion falling into ruin), and an American outsider who inadvertently gets dragged into an unpleasant family affair that goes way beyond his power of control.

One of this film's biggest downfalls was Castle's inability to build suspense, sustain drama and be humorous, all at the same time. Long before it's actually revealed, the viewer will have no trouble guessing the identity of the killer who's been bumping off all of the Femms at Femm Hall.

This is not a good movie. I don't even recommend it as entertainment for young children. Let's face it, William Castle just didn't have the knack for creating memorable Comedy.

It Was Engaging and Wacky

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 5 June 2021]

I can't see Tom Poston without thinking of George Utley, the handyman in the Newhart show. He is the poker faced protagonist in this silly tongue in cheek horror film. He is asked to go to the mansion of the Femm family and soon realizes he is in sort of snake pit. Everyone is seemingly crazy, possessed by various demons. He becomes a plaything and manages to escape time after time. I won't go into all the goofy plot stuff. Instead I will compliment the producers in their creation of an amazing setting, filled with items of every kind. There's even an ark which has been in the works for twenty years. There is no gratuitous violence, though bodies abound. I just chanced on this and got a kick out of it.

Remake.

[AaronCapenBanner · 2/10 · 14 October 2013]

William Castle directed this remake, co-produced with Hammer Studios, of the 1932 original directed by James Whale, which had starred Boris Karloff and Charles Laughton. Based on the novel by J.B. Priestly, this version casts Tom Poston as Tom Penderil, an American car salesman in England who is invited to a castle inhabited by the eccentric Femm Family, who are also reclusive. There is a strain of madness and murder in this home, and Tom may not make it out alive... Dreadful and instantly forgettable film is far too reliant on unfunny comedy, poorly executed, with bizarre and ineffectual horror. A complete and total waste of time. Watch the original instead!

Amusing film with good assortment of character actors

[kolob · 6/10 · 5 October 1999]

I've only seen Tom Poston in two films, this one and "Zotz". This is a funny, entertaining film that never really gives one a good scare, but does do a good job of keeping you amused. Robert Morley is always a joy to watch. The twins (Casper & Jasper) are a strange lot, as well as the other characters in this old dark house. They would probably fit in well at the Addams' home- if it weren't for the fact that they start dropping like flies. Who is the killer? Will Poston live long enough to find out? Watch this and then see "Ten Little Indians", which this film emulates in several ways.

THE OLD DARK HOUSE (William Castle, 1963) **

[Bunuel1976 · 4/10 · 24 February 2011]

I used to take people to task when they said that, being fond of a particular film, they would not watch some other version of the same source material…but, while I am a fan of Hammer Horror and (to a lesser extent) genre exponent William Castle, I have to admit to being guilty of this fault (or, if you like, bias) myself when it came to my all-time favorite movie – James Whale's similarly-titled 1932 adaptation for Universal of J.B. Priestley's "Benighted"! For this reason, I have postponed viewing the by-all-accounts "best forgotten" remake (Castle apparently did, because he fails to mention it in his memoirs...and, apparently, Boris Karloff declined to participate in it for being overly jokey!) for the longest time but, in view of my ongoing Whale marathon, I thought it was high time I got around to it! By the way, though I recall coming across a copy of the novel as a kid (that is, long before I watched the original film), I have been searching high and low ever since catching up with it – given that I was intrigued enough by the back-story to wish to concoct a veritable prequel!

According to "The Leslie Halliwell Film Guide", the Whale picture had adhered fairly closely to the text albeit "omitting the more thoughtful moments"; the Hammer version, then, is nothing like Whale's but it does include a nice 'exclusive' subplot involving one character's attempt to reproduce Noah's Ark! In most other respects, however, the film is a dismal failure (a pitifully poor sequence supposedly depicting a hyena attack must be seen to be disbelieved!): comedy does not suit Castle (despite his tendency towards Camp), much less Hammer (their recognizable style only coming through here in the overall look, aided by Charles Addams' evocative animated title sequence; the latter is said to owe his choice of career to a viewing of Whale's original!) and the end result barely raises a chuckle – with none of the subtle wit that so characterized the classic original! One grave mistake is the fact that only a single interloper is made to contend with the family of eccentrics, and resistible American comic Tom Poston at that; for the record, he had already collaborated with the director on the previous year's ZOTZ! (which I also own but have yet to check out).

The Femms, on the other hand, are incarnated by a promising gallery of actors but to little effect: Robert Morley, Joyce Grenfell, Janette Scott, Fenella Fielding (who would play a similar role in CARRY ON SCREAMING [1966]), Peter Bull, Mervyn Johns and Danny Green; incidentally, Fielding and Bull would later appear together again in the period romp, LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS! (1969) – which I have just acquired. The Whale film had no young women, crazy or otherwise, within the household but there were indeed 2 among the stranded travelers. Whereas Morley is supposed to replace Elspeth (billed as John!) Dudgeon, Grenfell stands in for Eva Moore, Bull has a dual role (which, again, is a new addition) while Johns more or less emulates Brember Wills (since he is perhaps the looniest – that said, his murderous inclinations are transferred onto one of the ladies, which is an agreeable novelty in itself!) and Green doubles for Karloff's giant mute butler (though, in this case, his dumbness is merely a ruse!).

Even if the original was relatively uneventful (a criticism leveled at it by hardened horror-movie buffs not satiated by its inherent stylized quirkiness), this one takes the form of an Agatha Christie whodunnit, with characters being eliminated one by one (among the murder methods are having water replaced by acid and, most ingeniously, a shotgun going off 'accidentally') over an inheritance – even Poston is linked with (and suspected of) this, which detaches it all the more from Whale's infinitely superior rendition! As if to emphasize this shift from Gothic horror to murder mystery, Hammer released the film theatrically in black-and-white (as per their current standard for thrillers) despite having shot it in color…with the latter prints only cropping up as TV screenings (which is how I came across my copy) and, fairly recently, DVD!

Femm Family Values

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 19 January 2020]

This remake of The Old Dark House is a brown comedy almost tan. It's funny and sometimes you might think you'll see Abbott&Costello pop in. But it ;lacks the atmosphere pf the 30s original.

Tom Poston over from America shares a London flat with Peter Bull who charges him with bringing an imported American car over to the family estate which kind of resembles where the Baskervilles might have lived. He does so and meets the Femm family, Bull's family and they are one interesting clan.

They are bound to that estate by the will of their ancestor who was a pirate to make sure that no one takes up that particular trade. Now why Bull had been sharing a flat with Poston you have to see the film for.,

William Castle and Hammer films of whom this was a joint project assembled quite a cast of British character players like Robert Morley, Mervyn Johns, and Joyce Grenfell as some of the Femme family. Some of them get dead and Poston might join them as they are convinced he is a long lost American cousin.

Poston does a good job and a cast like this, especially Morley for me is hard to resist. Still this The Old Dark House is a single, not a home run.

Or maybe I should have used a cricket analogy.

Neither funny or scary

[neil-douglas2010 · 6/10 · 10 June 2022]

Should've known better when I saw Robert Morley and Fenella Fielding in the cast that this wouldn't be a scary film. But, it's neither funny either, even thought the cast try their best. Fenella steals this one with her usual seductive / scary performance as Morgana and Morley plays his usual role.

The version I've watched is the b/w one, I'm sure I'd prefer the colour version.

Femm Hall: 6 Miles...

[hitchcockthelegend · 5/10 · 25 April 2013]

The Old Dark House is directed by William Castle and adapted to screenplay by Robert Dillon from the novel Benighted written by J.B. Priestly. It stars Tom Poston, Robert Morley, Janette Scott, Joyce Grenfell, Mervyn Jones, Fenella Fielding, Peter Bull and Danny Green. Music is by Benjamin Frankel and cinematography by Arthur Grant.

In essence a remake of James Whales' 1932 adaptation of the Priestly story, William Castle's film is very much an oddity and pitched somewhere between a live cartoon and a feverish campy dream. Even if you ignore Whale's popular movie, which while not easy to do is something you should at least try to do, this version is just too nutty for its own good.

It's not a complete wash out as a film at all, there is some value to be had with a roll call of quality British thespians acting it up alongside "token" American Poston. It's colourfully lurid and the pratfalls are honest and often smile inducing. But it at times comes over as a picture to be viewed with a considerable intake of liquor! Then the murders would become suitably grotesque in a Munsters/Addams Family kind of way and the live wire Poston should be tolerable.

Typically of a Castle production there's cheapness within (oh my that Hyenna), but again that can be ignored in context to the strangeness of the piece anyway. The opening credits are neat and set the tone for the cartoonery, a tone kept up by Frankel's musical accompaniments, while the production design for the house is, well, strange. Hard to recommend with confidence to anyone other than boozers or cartoon loving insomniacs, The Old Dark House is at the least unforgettable. 5/10

Fun and attractive William Castle horror-thriller with suave laughs

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 26 September 2022]

Tongue-in-cheek camp terror film, alive with atmosphere , eerie events , horrifying happenings and mild laughs . Entertaining and enjoyable William Castle movie set in an eerie mansion and dealing with a criminal intrigue. Based on J. B. Priestley's book ¨Benighted¨ , being typically humorous , intriguing , ironical William Castle opera with his usual ingredients . Concerning an American car salesman (Tom Poston) in England receives a mysterious invitation from an old, eccentric millionaire (Peter Bull) to visit his house in which he lives with his twin brother. But he's stranded for the night at the old mansion which one almost expects to crumble at any moment . As meddled American decides to go off and he stumbles into a lot of secrets , various strange people (Janette Scott, Robert Morley,Fenella Fielding, Danny Green) while involving murders. Ready ! Set ! Laugh ! Join the fun in a nut-house of terror! . The Key to Spooks, Kooks, and Coffin Nooks... where the host with the most turns into a Ghost... and you... die...Laughing! .Scared stiff? Take a coffin-break!... to steady your nerves...and stifle your laughter! You'll Die Laughing! It Runs Riot! 13 terrified teenagers on the run !. The big fright! The eerie sight!

One Castle's strangest movies , set in a rural house , though actually shot in Bray Studios from Hammer Films . Atmospheric , slick terror film , creaky at times but it's still decent . The film displays adequate set design , twisted screenplay with too many ghastly scenes and adequate interpretation for all casting . This frightening/comical movie is pretty welll , though it relies heavily on black humor and some absurd incidents. Full of quotable lines with more than a touch of comedy and creepy moments . The picture blends horror with humor and acceptable visual effects . An amusing movie with thrills , tension , intrigue , chuckles , twists and turns . This is a comical mystery thriller, being more a typical spook opera from Castle who often used a lot of gimmicks . Remake to classic The Old Dark House (1932) by James Whale with Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas , Ernest Thesiger , Lilian Bond , Charles Laughton , based on "The Old Dark House" by J. B. Priestley . The Old Dark House (1963) stars Tom Poston giving a sympathetic acting as a salesman who sells cars ends-up spending a stormy night at the mysterious and deadly mansion of a client's family , as he get into trouble when he discovers various surprising killings . Castle held a worlwide talent search to find his stars , this time Tom Poston for whom this was one of the his movies. Along other known actors as Robert Morley, Janette Scott, Mervyn Johns . Furthermore , Peter Bull , Danny Green , Joyce Grenfell and the gorgeous Fenella Fielding as Morgana.

This agreeable , cute motion picture was professionally directed by William Castle . He was an expert craftsman with some of the all-time great schlock names serving as the producer Sam Katzman and fondness for gimmicks as proved in his successful terror films such as : House of haunted hill , The Tingler , Mr Sardonicus , Strait-jacked , Homicidal , Macabre and 13 Ghosts . Castle emulated Alfred Hitchcock , this included the practice of appearing in the trailers, and even making cameo appearances in his films . Furthermore , he made several Westerns such as : 1955 Duel on the Mississippi , 1955 The Gun That Won the West ,1955 El Americano , 1954 Masterson of Kansas , 1954 The Law vs. Billy the Kid , 1954 Jesse James vs. The Daltons , 1954 Battle of Rogue River , 1953 Fort Ti , 1951 cave of outlaws. Rating : 6/10, acceptable and passable , being one of Castle's weirdest movies . A side-splitting vintage picture awaiting rediscovery.

Castle of Kooks

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 26 July 2013]

In a London casino, American car salesman Tom Poston (as Thomas "Tom" Penderel) accepts an invitation to visit an eccentric English friend's dilapidated old mansion. He arrives at "Femm Hall" during a rainstorm, hoping to meet some of his friend's female cousins. "I like girls," Mr. Poston says. Poston arrives to discover his host in a coffin. Equally eccentric Robert Morley (as Roderick Femm) invites Poston to stay, exclaiming, "It's not every day that we have an American for dinner..."

Poston is nearly seduced by both attractive blonde Janette Scott (as Cecily) and perpetually aroused Fenella Fielding (as Morgana). There is some hint Poston might re-populate the Earth, after copulating with one of these women - but nothing comes of it. Due to the extended rain, Bible-believing Mervyn Johns (as Potiphar) is collecting animals for his ark. He hopes to include Poston as a human specimen. But murder takes priority in this story, as family members begin to meet their maker...

The storyline deviates wildly from the original J.B. Priestley novel (and similarly titled 1932 film). Though produced and directed by William Castle, for the horrific "Hammer" studios of Great Britain, this is a broad comedy. As such, it gets a little more tiresome every quarter hour. The low point may be Poston being joined in his bed by "Penelope the hyena" - a special effect which evokes the wrong kind of laughter. "The Old Dark House" picks up after petering out, with a lively ending.

***** The Old Dark House (10/30/63) William Castle ~ Tom Poston, Robert Morley, Fenella Fielding, Janette Scott

Atmospheric and light comedy movie!

[markovd111 · 8/10 · 5 August 2019]

While it won't win any awards for being outstanding, this movie sure can be an enjoyable and relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Don't compare it to the original, it's something entirely different. It's really light and fun albeit being a little slow. There aren't movies like this anymore, so it's nice to have and watch something like this from time to time. 8/10 and a warm recommendation to everyone who wants to relax a little! :)

Fun outing

[ctomvelu1 · 6/10 · 2 September 2012]

Campy comedy about an expatriate American who sells cars in England and gets invited by an eccentric millionaire to visit the man's ancestral estate. The ancestral mansion turns out to be something right out of a Charles Addams' cartoon (Addams in fact drew the opening sequence) and it is chock full of oddball relatives. One by one, during a torrential storm, they are knocked off by unseen hands. I'd not seen this film before, but it was easy enough to spot the killer. Tom Poston plays the befuddled American, and Robert Morley plays a gun-toting member of the nutty clan. Plenty of slapstick bits but no scares, as one might have expected from the title. Director William Castle helmed this remake of a 1937 classic, and has a lot of fun with it. Great musical score, and some fetching females to keep up the interest. Excellent sets and color. Worth a look.

Not THAT bad...

[ronnybee2112 · 5/10 · 25 October 2023]

I read several of the many previous reviews before I watched this movie. From what I learned from most of the other reviews,it didn't seem like this was a particularly good movie that made much of an impression on the reviewers. The general idea was that this film was,at best,a middling,ho-hum,take it or leave it film. Not a terrible film,but not particularly good or memorable. That was the overall impression of the film that the previous reviewers got across to me.

Somehow I still managed to give this film an attentive view with a reasonably-open mind.

What did I think? Overall,this film really isn't too-bad,after all ! It was not exactly a masterpiece of either humor or horror,but it does indeed have it's moments. Believe me when I say that there are many much-worse examples of films of this type to be seen.

Check it out for some light entertainment.

Believe me,you've seen much worse!