#the old dark house (1932)

[001410]

Gloria Stuart in The Old Dark House (1932)

[sharks-in-boots]

Penderel & Gladys: making out in a car

everyone else's plot:

[thebrideofreanimator]

movie theaters need to do a double feature of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Old Dark House

[dragon-of-the-night]

I can see that Gloria Stuart is not going to win this, but I will at least try to get her some votes.

She played Rose in “Titanic” and died at aged 100! (Which is good news for me, because we share birthdays and I’m taking that as an omen that I’ll live to a good age).

She was also in “The Invisible Man” and “The Old Dark House” in 1932-33, so she’s part of the classic horror ladies!

And here she is with James Cagney, for you, OP 😉

Propaganda

Gloria Stuart (The Old Dark House, The Invisible Man)—no propaganda submitted

Elizabeth Welch (Song of Freedom, Big Fella, Dead of Night)— Starry-eyed, honey-voiced, magnetic. A Broadway star in the 1920s, she SHOULD have become a torch-singing Hollywood star when talking pictures came in. Instead she was faced with Hollywood racism, so she moved to Europe and juggled British movie roles and a top-class cabaret career. (Heard the classic songs "Stormy Weather" or "Love For Sale" or "As Time Goes By"? She introduced them all.) You need to hear her croon, so here she is co-starring with certified hot vintage man Paul Robeson:

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut]

Welch:

[schlock-luster-video]

On March 10, 1989 The Old Dark House debuted on West German television.

[fanofspooky]

Scream King - Boris Karloff

[weirdlookindog]

Ernest Thesiger as Horace Femm in The Old Dark House (1932)

[moviesludge]

it was a bleak and rainy evening...

[dragon-of-the-night]

By the way, OP, the poster for The Black Cat is actually a poster for the 1941 version of the film, not the 1934 one. It’s confusing, because they both star Béla Lugosi!

Pick a horror movie from the 1930s.

[mudwerks]

(via UNREAL ESTATE - Pulp International)

[haveyouseenthishorrormovie]

SUMMARY: Seeking shelter from a storm, five travelers are in for a bizarre and terrifying night when they stumble upon the Femm family estate.

This fucking still! The mod is obsessed with this still, it's got a certain je ne sais quoi that is just *chef's kiss*.

[xarika]

Gloria Stuart

[gnome-adjacent-vagabond]

*sprinkles them with sapphic dust* Be free. Be wild. Read your bibles in bed together, you magnificent beings.

[thewarmestplacetohide]

Dread by the Decade: The Old Dark House

👻 You can support me on Ko-fi ❤️

★★★½

Plot: Travelers shelter from a storm in an eccentric family's manor.

Review: A bizarre, silly tale sustained by its charming cast and striking cinematography.

Source Material: Benighted by J. B. Priestley Year: 1932 Genre: Horror Comedy, Gothic Country: United States Language: English Runtime: 1 hour 12 minutes

Director: James Whale Writers: Benn W. Levy, R. C. Sherriff Cinematographer: Arthur Edeson Editor: Clarence Kolster Composer: David Broekman Cast: Melvyn Douglas, Raymond Massey, Ernest Thesiger, Gloria Stuart, Charles Laughton, Lilian Bond, Eva Moore, Boris Karloff

------

Story: 3.5/5 - Successfully pokes fun at gothic horror tropes and cliches, but suffers slightly from a rushed ending.

Performances: 4/5 - The cast do a great job playing exaggerated gothic stock characters, from Laughton's campy aristocrat to Eva Moore's overly-ominous lady of the manor.

Cinematography: 4/5 - Excellent framing.

Editing: 4/5

Music: 3.5/5

Effects: 4/5 - The car crash and landslide are a bit silly, but fit the tone of the film.

Sets: 4/5 - Well-dressed sets with eerie hallways and stairwells. A bit disappointing there isn't a wide shot of the manor itself, though.

Costumes, Hair, & Make-Up: 4/5 - Solid. A surprise character towards the end sports interesting make-up.

Trigger Warnings:

Mild violence

Alcoholism

Domestic abuse (off-screen)