Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

JohnHowardReid Copyright 12 October 1932 by Universal Pictures Corporation. New York opening at the Rialto: 27 October 1932. U.K. release: 21 October 1932 (sic). 6,451 feet. 71 minutes.SYNOPSIS: A charming young wastrel (Melvyn Douglas), a wealthy but rough-and-ready manufacturer (Charles Laughton) and his chorus-girl partner (Lilian Bond), plus a bickering married couple (Raymond Massey and Gloria Stuart) are independently stranded one stormy night in Wales. They are forced to spend the night in a gloomy old mansion belonging to the weirdly eccentric Femm family who are somewhat at the mercy of their grimly menacing (if speechless) butler (Boris Karloff). As might be expected from Priestley and Sherriff, the bizarrely comic dialogue is even more fascinating than all the anticipated shocks and thrills. COMMENT: Sometimes referred to as the grandfather of all haunted house horrors, The Old Dark House is just one of quite a few well-stocked originals, including The Bat (1926) and The Cat and the Canary (1927). What it does offer is a superb gallery of interesting and fascinatingly off-beat characters, brilliantly brought to life here by an incredibly star-studded cast. It's virtually impossible to pick just who stands out from this richly diverse assembly, though I do have a soft spot for Gloria Stuart who was never more attractively photographed or handsomely attired. Karloff's fans will not be disappointed either.Tempting though it is to quote some of the racy dialogue and point out a few of the heart-stopping chills and surprises so effectively delivered by director James Frankenstein Whale and cameraman Arthur All Quiet on the Western Front (and later Casablanca) Edeson, I'll content myself by observing that, despite the hundreds of imitations that have since appeared, the original Old Dark House still packs at least five or six mighty good scares.

JLRVancouver One of the original 'stranded in a creepy mansion' movies, "The Old Dark House" brings a group of travellers, trapped by a massive rainstorm, together in an old estate somewhere in Wales. The home is owned by the Femm family, including paranoid Rebecca (Eva Moore) and sepulchral brother Horrace (Ernest Thesiger) who are served by a lumbering, scarred mute servant Morgan (Karloff). Needless to say, there is more to the family and the mansion than meets the eye. Directed by James Whale, the film reflects his flair for the comic-Gothic, but is not in the same league as his "Frankenstein" (1931) or "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935). The ensemble cast of 'strandees' including Charles Laughton, Melvyn Douglas, and Raymond Massey, are all good in their respective roles, as are their hosts, but Karloff is a disappointment. After having brought so much humanity and pathos to his 'creature' in the Frankenstein films, here he just lurches and grunts as he menaces the stranded guests. ANTI-SPOILER ALERT: I was expecting some clever twist involving his character at the end of the film, but the story just plays out predictably (perhaps it was less predictable when the movie came out).

living-god-king-of-all-w Most people haven't heard of this film. The fact that The Old Dark House didn't feature an iconic Universal Monster nor, for that matter, any supernatural elements at all, has unfairly kept it from being as widely celebrated as it should. But, directed with a gleefully wicked eye by James Whale, this film is a true dark classic.The cast alone makes this movie worth watching. Seeing a strong screen presence such as Raymond Massey repeatedly upstaged is a delight. Charles Laughton bellows and blusters throughout as a likable lout before delivering the film's most poignant and sensitive scene. Eva Moore, as the unpleasant Rebecca Femm is positively detestable. The Mistress of the titular house, Miss Femm, is a parsimonious, judgmental old shrew who may or may not have murdered her own sister. Throw in the always hilarious Ernest Thesiger, a perfectly menacing Boris Karloff and a dashing young Melvyn Douglas and the results are delightful. The story itself is delicious with bawdy hints of murder, lust, incest, and madness. By the end of the film, many of the secrets of the twisted Femm family remain occulted and the surviving cast seems happy to leave things that way. On top of this, a lighthearted love story runs blithely alongside the atmospheric elements of horror and integrates itself flawlessly. Steeped with his trademark humor, blasphemy and irreverence, this is a true James Whale classic. I recommend it for all aficionados of classic horror. I intend to purchase it immediately so I can watch it again and again.

DansHauntedHouseful When describing films that are overly saturated with elements of a certain theme, the phase "X for X's sake" is often used. 'Gore for gore's sake' or 'Violence for violence's sake', you get the idea. I am tempted to use the phase "Creepy for Creepy's sake" when describing the film, although I don't mean it in a negative way. The Old Dark House doesn't grab you by the head and smash your face down inside a pie of creepiness. Rather the creepiness is all around you from beginning to end, though it may not always be subtle.It is a simple story – a violent storm forces two sets of travelers to seek shelter at and old, dark house. The inhabitants of the house are quite strange, as would be expected. There are several subplots that arise, and some of these are awkward. But never mind, the purpose of the film is not to tell a thought-provoking story with a compelling plot. Instead, it is to revel in the art of the uncanny. It succeeds in its goal with dark and chilling atmospheres, crafty camera-work, and its effective use of shadows. Some of the characters are humorously unsettling, even by today's standards. I would like to go more in depth and describing some of them, but that would require me to tread too far into the forest of spoilers and I don't want to do that. Oh and there's the screeching of the wind! Gotta love that! Read more of my review at my blog, which is found in my profile