Movie Review: The Old Dark House (1932)

The Old Dark House is a classic Universal horror movie from the ’30s directed by that era’s true master in James Whale (Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man). It has his trademark dark humor, and its Wikipedia page lists it as a “horror comedy.”

I don’t quite agree with that. It has a sense of humor, of course, but this is still a genuine horror movie that takes its horror element seriously.

Well, there’s definitely a bit of camp, with Ernest Thesiger’s performance as Horace Femm, the owner of the titular home. But he was pretty much like that as Dr. Pretorius in Bride of Frankenstein, and I’ve never heard that described as a horror comedy, ddespite its same dark humor.

Anyways, the plot unfolds more or less the way you’d expect. Some travelers get stuck outside in a storm, and they’re let in to a creepy old house. The house isn’t haunted; nothing supernatural happens. But weird stuff still happens, and you’re under the impression that nobody is as they seem.

Except for Boris Karloff as the mute butler. He’s pretty much exactly what he seems. It’s an unfortunate bit of casting and is clearly the result of his success in Frankenstein, but I can’t help but think of how they wasted his talent here. The same year he appeared in one of the most critically acclaimed crime movies ever made in Scarface. Thankfully, we’d be able to see Karloff show off his acting abilities in other projects, but this feels like a big missed opportunity.

There’s nothing too special about the plot and honestly not a whole lot happens, but this movie is more about the atmosphere it creates, which is quite effective. You constantly hear the storm raging outside, which works as a good, creepy soundtrack to the goings on inside.

Rating: 6/10