MovieChat Forums > The Old Dark House (1932) Discussion > Definitive Spooky

Definitive Spooky

posted 16 years ago by goooooost8
1 reply | jump to latest

I first saw this film about 25 years ago and never knew the title. By chance, I saw it on TCM a few nights ago and then remembered it. This film defines the word "spooky". It's just classic early 1930s Universal cinema with dark and cavernous rooms, campy storm sound effects and lots of over-acting as was the style. If that's not your cup of tea, you may want to pass. I'm guessing that William Castle got some inspiration from this film for classics like "House on Haunted Hill" and "Thirteen Ghosts". It's interesting to see such a celebrated cast before they reached stardom. They all look so very young (which they were). Also, seeing Gloria Stewart 65 years before she made "Titanic" was a real treat (she was quite a looker in her day).

[–] Ate_Arms 14 years ago

I only watched it recently but was impressed by the atmosphere and the genuine sense of suspense. The constant thunderstorm was excellent, as was the setting, performances and sense of humour. It grabbed me from the moment they were caught driving in the torrential rain. (i.e the start, haha)