Old Dark House (Wm. Castle) in '60s Horror and Sci-Fi Forum

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Old Dark House (Wm. Castle)

Author	Comment
TomWeaver999		#21	[-]
Oct 22 09 10:10 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I also can't think of any earthly reason why Columbia would be storing a print of their OLD DARK HOUSE in Universal's vaults. But, yes, it's a cute story and, IF Columbia stored their prints at Universal and IF Harrington was a bit of an airhead, then yes, it might be true.
TServo4		#22	[-]
Oct 23 09 12:40 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I also can't think of any earthly reason why Columbia would be storing a print of their OLD DARK HOUSE in Universal's vaults. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't; for the same reason that MGM would have a print of Paramount's JEKYLL/HYDE sitting in thier vaults. They bought the rights to the remake, and had a print struck in order to view the film for creative input (or vice versa). Quite common at the studios. MGM supposedly ordered a print of THIS ISLAND EARTH to watch to get some idea of what had been done already before going into FORBIDDEN PLANET, and they weren't even remaking THIS ISLAND EARTH! J. Theakston Capitol Theatre, Rome, NY
davlghry		#23	[-]
Oct 23 09 5:50 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	HalLane wrote: Cueva Muerte wrote: "When Patrick McGoohan asked her (Fenella F.) to be the voice that hails the villagers in his 1967 The Prisoner.... Yes! I sure thought she sounded like that Prisoner voice. Thanx for the confirmation! And color me surprised that this thing was in color. Nice to know I wasn't imagining it being in black and white (too). Fielding has a great voice but didn't she borrow it from Joan Greenwood?
TomWeaver999		#24	[-]
Oct 23 09 10:03 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	<< I don't see any reason why they wouldn't; for the same reason that MGM would have a print of Paramount's JEKYLL/HYDE sitting in thier vaults. They bought the rights to the remake, and had a print struck in order to view the film for creative input (or vice versa). Quite common at the studios. << I think you've got it backwards. Columbia got the rights to make OLD DARK HOUSE -- I don't know from who, I don't know if Universal even still HAD the rights to it in the mid-60s. I bet not, since it wasn't in the Shock package. So a print of Universal's OLD DARK HOUSE in Columbia's vaults would pass the smell test -- but not a print of Columbia's remake in Universal's vaults. That'd be like RKO giving Universal a print of the 1939 HUNCHBACK -- "Hey, YOU made a version of this once, and now WE'VE made one. We'd like to put a print of our version in your vault." Ummmm ... no thanks!
thehorrorboy		#25	[-]
Oct 24 09 10:19 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	TomWeaver999 wrote: William Everson thought he found the lost THE GHOUL a bunch of times, and every time it turned out to be a print of THE MAD GHOUL. I'd like to think he didn't invite all his friends over every time! Everson wrote about that, but he made it sound as though others made the error, not him. WAS it him?
TomWeaver999		#26	[-]
Oct 24 09 11:58 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	That I don't know -- I don't remember how he phrased it, to be honest. Just that, several times, there was reason to believe THE GHOUL had been found, and every time, it was a print of THE MAD GHOUL.
Zombie Dad		#27	[-]
Oct 25 09 4:12 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I just watched the Castle-Hammer THE OLD DARK HOUSE again today. Especially in the close-up of Tom Poston wearing the hat while driving to Femm Hall, he's a dead ringer for William Castle! ZD Zombie Dad's Online Art Store www.zazzle.com/zombiedad
clore103051		#28	[-]
Oct 25 09 10:10 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	TomWeaver999 wrote: I got about 35 minutes "in" and called it a night. It's not anything I can watch in one straight shot. I got an hour into it the other night and that's only because I'm an insomniac. I just found it so incredibly witless that I turned it off, but the recording is still there. I've not been tempted at all to go back to it. It looked good in a technical sense, but it lulled me to sleep, albeit only for two hours. I may save the recording just for that purpose in the future.
Bifocals		#29	[-]
Oct 29 09 9:17 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	TomWeaver999 wrote: << Tom never thinks anyone else's stories are true, no matter who they heard it from. << Where'd you hear that?? Untrue! I heard differently.
Grant		#30	[-]
Mar 29 10 9:40 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I missed that TCM showing, but I saw it a few months ago for nearly the first time, and I only have one (sort of) complaint. When Poston throws the bomb away and it lands at the feet of the character who just turned out to be the killer, it isn't filmed in a way that makes it look like he did it inadvertently. It looks more like he's suddenly turned ruthless himself. It's an odd complaint for a comedy like this one (which is also considered pretty bad), but it's sort of an aggravation.
horrorfilmx		#31	[-]
Mar 30 10 10:20 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I enjoy about the first third of this movie, largely because of the cast and the typical nice Hammer production, but then it all goes downhill. I was surprised to see it in color and also caught the double credit to director Bill Castle, but I noticed that the "funny" sound effects in the opening credits were missing. Fine by me, since it makes it that much easier to hear Benjamin Frankel's eerie/lyrical score, but I wonder what happened to them. Maybe TCM showed a British print which never had them?
opticalguy	My Two Cents … and Spoilers	#32	[-]
May 5 11 10:39 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Courtesy of FEARNET on my local cable channel's "free on demand" service I have finally caught this one. Whew! It is of legendary awfulness … seriously … this film sucks great hairy moose balls. However it is not without some entertainment … if you are incredibly forgiving and if you've a passion for old, dark house films and if you are being a Hammer and William Castle completest.Still I agree that the best stuff is the title sequence. The opening credits are the most charming bit. This lobby card features Tom Poston and his co-stars Oakly Hall and Janette Scott. Great poster but I understand why this picture defeated Tom Weaver … stronger men than Tom can't handle it. The original adaptation in 1932 by James Whale is both incredibly faithful to the J. B. Priestly source novel (entitled Benighted in the UK and The Old Dark House in the USA … the 1931 edition in the Philadelphia area library system uses the title The Old Dark House) and is tons funnier with a genuine scary sequence at the end. William Castle and Hammer have never been known for great comedies and this film ain't helping. Bernard Robinson's sets look a bit drab (you can see the library wall for Horror of Dracula recycled for the Femm's study) and the overly-bright print makes the photography seem like a 1960s color sitcom. . They mange to make Fenella Fielding look dumpy in some terrible outfits (the really make her look pear-shaped) and they make Janette Scott look drab and they waste the talents of a bunch of skilled British comedy hands and make Tom Poston look bad as well. Most of us (in spite of framing all the shots unflatteringly for both the female leads) might want the choice between Janette Scott as psycho-ingenue Cecily Femm and Fenella Fielding as "in heat" femme fatale" Morgana Femm. opticalguy1954@yahoo.com (Spencer Gill) Last Edited By: opticalguy May 5 11 11:14 AM. Edited 1 times.
CreepyClassicFan		#33	[-]
May 5 11 11:17 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	TomWeaver999 wrote: It was on TCM last night so I recorded it and I'm going to bite the bullet and finally see it. It's a movie I guess I've been kind-of avoiding my whole life. Well, actually, I've already started watching -- but 15 minutes in, I already need a break. I can just tell that there's not going to be one laugh in it. How "nice" that the people doing the credits screwed-up and called the original J.B. Priestley novel THE OLD DARK HOUSE instead of BENIGHTED. Then, a few seconds later, we get a full-screen PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY WILLIAM CASTLE ... which fades out ... and then DIRECTED BY WILLIAM CASTLE appears. I may have to watch this in installments over a few nights ... or more. Its recently showing on fearnet.com, On Demand. I watched for the first time yesterday, wasn't impressed at all.
horrorfilmx		#34	[-]
May 5 11 11:22 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The cast almost saves this one. I can watch nearly anything with Robert Morley.
Rick		#35	[-]
May 5 11 1:54 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks for the pix, Spencer. They remind me that I've never seen the film in color. My only viewings were ages ago on a black and white tv. Probably I should watch it in color...someday.
Here 4 help		#36	[-]
May 7 11 2:09 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Columbia got the rights to make OLD DARK HOUSE -- I don't know from who, I don't know if Universal even still HAD the rights to it in the mid-60s. It was announced that Castle had the rights in late 1960. Not clear who he (or Columbia) purchased them from. The deal with Hammer seems to have been done in Autumn 1961 and then he came over in the Spring to shoot the film. Does anyone know why the film gets no mention at all in Castle's autobiography. Was he that embarassed by it? Is it worse than Zotz?
LesDaniels		#37	[-]
May 7 11 4:06 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It's certainly better than ZOTZ, and I think it would be regarded with less indignation if it were not always compared with Whale's film. If it had a different title (and it really has quite a different story), it would probably be regarded as a passable time-killer rather than some sort of crime against civilization.
DrPaulArmstrong		#38	[-]
May 7 11 8:10 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I...<<enjoy>>...this film. Yes, I am such a pathetic old dark house apologist/completist that on some certain, barely definable level I...enjoy...it. I'm also glad they did not attempt a remake of Whale's film. It's being a completely different animal removes it, allows me to appreciate it for what it is. Which is one of the rather curious accidental trio that includes THE HORROR OF IT ALL and WHAT A CARVE UP! all made relatively around the same time (well, early 60s). An old dark zeitgeist. And I never laugh once. What can I say? I really like the death-by-knitting-needles shot. I should also add that my expectations were at about 0 going in.
The Mighty Bongo		#39	[-]
May 8 11 9:17 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I've got to throw in with DrPaul on this one. I really like it. The characters are all very interesting with all their respective hobbies and neurosis's (sic). Things like the knitting needles, the sound of Peter Bulls voice eerily droning out the clock bell poems, the acid in the wash basin, all these things have been stuck in my head since I was a kid. Granted, my childhood fondness goes a long way in my enjoyment of Old Dark House. My kids are now fans as well,partly because I got them tenderized by watching repeated viewings of Dark and Stormy Night.( Which they absolutely love !) Now that I'm older I appreciate the dynamic of Poston and the girls,(lucky stiff). I'd have been killed by Morgana's father,based only on what I was thinking.( love those bad girls!) You just can't take it too seriously. Chris Want to hang out with the ultimate party animals ? Come see us at; http://www.hollywoodgorillamen.com/
LesDaniels		#40	[-]
May 8 11 2:36 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Lacking the heroism of Dr. Paul, I tip-toed around the fact that I really kinda like the thing myself. Some spookier lighting certainly would have helped, but I'm impressed by a cast that includes British stalwarts Robert Morley, Joyce Grenfell, Mervyn Johns and Peter Bull, none of whom get much respect around here, apparently. And I applaud the kind words for this flick's kissing cousins WHAT A CARVE UP and THE HORROR OF IT ALL. Hell, I even like the scene of Pat Boone singing the latter's goofy title song while swanning around a mad lab, nor to mention Andree Melly's greatest role (sorry, BRIDES OF DRAC fans, but you don't know what you're missing). Plus Dennis Price at his snidest. And CARVE UP (not really a remake of THE GHOUL--why do they say these things?) has D. Price again, not to mention Michael Gough, Donald Pleasence, Sid James, and Shirley Eaton in her underwear. Pure half-witted heaven.

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Old Dark House (Wm. Castle)