House of the Long Shadows (1983)
Genre: Comedy / Horror
Duration: 100 minuten
Alternative title: House of Long Shadows
Country:
United Kingdom
Directed by: Pete Walker
Stars: Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing
IMDb score:
6,2 (4.427)
Releasedate: 17 June 1983
House of the Long Shadows plot
"Room for every nightmare… A nightmare in every room."
Sales of his books are declining and his new book is far from ready. He bets 20,000 that in the silence of the old castle he can hand over a manuscript within 24 hours. A villager warns him not to go to Bllyddpaetwr Manor because it is cursed. His rest is soon over when he notices that several people have a key to the dark house.
Actors and actresses
Lionel Grisbane
Corrigan
Sebastian Grisbane
Kenneth Magee
Elijah Grisbane
Victoria Grisbane
Mary Norton
Sam Allyson
Diana Caulder
Station Master
Reviews & comments
Chainsaw
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- 8580 messages
- 3380 votes
Very nice.
This film adaptation of the play/book Seven Keys to Baldpate, unknown to me, reminded me a lot of Clue and especially The Old Dark House from 1932, a horror comedy by James Whale with Boris Karloff. But instead of one icon, we now have four together. It's wonderful to see Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and John Carradine together. Allen is on a roll, although Carradine is clearly at the end of his rope. Cushing and Price still give a great performance despite their age and Christopher Lee seems to have just started his career, so energetic and powerful. Anyway, he acted happily until he was 93.
But even though they carry the film, House of the Long Shadows fortunately also has more to offer than the four greatest horror actors put together. The film is an atmospheric and smooth film, which is hardly innovative, but knows how to intrigue. The setting of an old, dark and creaky house, with a storm outside, is and remains effective, especially the way it is done here. Nice dialogues, nice characters and even if it gets a bit clumsy, it's still charming.
4 stars.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Richard_Voorhees
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- 2311 messages
- 2135 votes
With this film, which appears to be an adaptation of a book, Pete Walker brought a gothic horror film to an era when it was "out of fashion." The setting of a summer hotel (the book) has been replaced by an old country house somewhere in the Welsh countryside. A pleasant setting that brings back that nice "old-fashioned" atmosphere of the Hammer films, among others.
Desi Arnaz Jr. plays the author named in the plot who makes a bet with his publisher (played by Richard Todd). A reasonable role for this relatively young (compared to the majority of the other cast members) actor.
He thinks he is alone in the old mansion, but it doesn't take long before one after the other invades the house and he slowly but surely learns about the macabre past of the house and the family that lived in it.
John Carradine makes a fragile impression (partly the creator's intention) and so Sheila Keith takes matters into her own hands. The latter plays a less memorable character than in Walker's House of Mortal Sin, but still plays a decent character.
Furthermore, the three grandmasters: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Vincent Price all come across as strong. Vincent Price is macabre, Christopher Lee makes use of his almost natural, imposing appearance again. Cushing had to make do with a character that seems to be plagued with his conscience and therefore comes across as the least strange/terrifying.
With all those legendary faces, it's hard to survive as a young actor/actress, but Arnaz Jr. does this quite strongly and is assisted in a good way by Julie Pleasgood.
The soundtrack is quite atmospheric and the setting, the thunderstorm and the creaking and squeaking house do the rest. An excellent performance by Walker in an era when such films were no longer made.
It's a shame that the film ends so lightly because of the twist, but otherwise there is little to complain about.
Translated from Dutch · View original
wendyvortex
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- 4893 messages
- 7076 votes
Too bad about the sometimes light-hearted tone, if it had all been a bit more grim we would have had a really late Hammer-style piece. With Peter Cushing, Vincent Price and Christopher Lee the three big stars of the genre (4 if you also include John Carradine, but he has significantly less screen time). The second half works best in that respect, then we are on the right track. Very nice to see the big three in the early eighties in a big house full of cobwebs, closed rooms and long corridors behind the bookcase.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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