THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932)

What did people do before the Internet? Apparently, they drove frivolously during violent thunderstorms, sat around, and tried to impress one another with their views on life. The Old Dark House takes us back to those simpler times, before horror-comedies were in abundance, and it’s available now on 4K Ultra HD from Eureka Entertainment.

With such a generic title, many horror films that follow a similar premise are often referred to as using “The Old Dark House” model, whether they be comedic or just straight up scary, like William Castle’s House on Haunted Hill and the more extreme late 90s remake, respectively. In the case of this original classic adapted to the screen by James Whale from J.B. Priestley’s 1927 novel, assorted strangers are stranded within the walls of the Femm estate located in the Welsh countryside. Their hosts are the neurotic Horace Femm and his sister Rebecca, with the help of an intimidating mute servant, Morgan, played by Boris Karloff.

The Old Dark House is a microcosm of class structure between world wars, as the guests banter and debate throughout the night, and neurosis takes hold. It’s rather sophisticated for its time, and a lot of dialogue sounds almost contemporary. However, the narrative is billed as something far more sinister, especially given the strong performance of a deranged Boris Karloff who spends eighty-odd minutes frightening our eclectic ensemble. Managing to live up to its literal title, this horror picture cements Karloff as an icon of horror, almost, if not, as much as Frankenstein.

The ensemble cast is a diverse mix with an almost equal man to woman ratio, and despite some typical tropes, such as that of one character in a constant state of fright, the film’s energy comes from the performances. While Charles Laughton brings most of the humour via a boisterous, working-class manner, Melvyn Douglas proves to be a dashing leading man, with both personalities countering the horror well.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Limited Edition [2000 copies]
A limited-edition O-card slipcase, featuring artwork by Sara Deck strictly exclusive to this edition only
A limited-edition collector’s booklet featuring a new essay on The Old Dark House by Craig Ian Mann, an essay by Philip Kemp and select archival material
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Audio commentary by critic and author Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
Audio commentary by Gloria Stuart
Audio commentary by James Whale biographer James Curtis
Meet the Femms – video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns
Daughter of Frankenstein – an interview with Sara Karloff
Rescuing a Classic – an archival interview with director Curtis Harrington, focused on his efforts to save The Old Dark House, then considered a lost film
2018 re-release trailer
Stills gallery

While this 4K of The Old Dark House boasts better picture and audio quality than its Blu-ray counterparts, there’s nothing new here, special-features wise as Eureka ported all the supplementary content from their 2018 release. However, first-time buyers of an HD copy of this horror classic will no doubt be happy with the somewhat recent extras content. As usual for a Kim Newman commentary, the 2018 track, also featuring Stephen Jones, is a fun, breezy listen that any movie fan will enjoy. Those with limited time can opt for the 37-minute video essay by David Cairns, which manages to relate the personal and professional backgrounds of the cast and director with the themes of the film in an engaging fashion. The short 2017 interview with Sara Karloff is also a recommended watch, as she explores the importance of her father’s horror legacy. – by Hannah Lynch

VIDEO AND AUDIO

I previously watched The Old Dark House on Tubi in all its public domain glory, and it looks great in HD, but this renovation from a 4K digital restoration, presented in a NEW and EXCLUSIVE Dolby Vision HDR (HDR 10 compatible) grade, will forever be unmatched. In the film’s original aspect ratio of 1.37:1 this can easily be cited as a perfect example of black and white horror. Uncompressed LPCM audio is hard to describe other than saying it’s clear, so think of CD versus vinyl in terms of clarity. If you’re a film purist, then you’ll be more than pleased.

The Old Dark House is priced at £24.99 ($51.64 AUD and $33.77 USD), which is a fair price for what you get in this latest edition in Eureka’s ‘Masters of Cinema Series’, and it’s worth the upgrade if you had previously purchased the Blu-ray edition from 2018.

THE OLD DARK HOUSE
(1932, director: Jame Whale)