tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-460474552118769771.post7465732391238566644..comments2024-02-28T09:34:58.074-08:00Comments on NATURALISTIC! UNCANNY! MARVELOUS!: THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1963)Gene Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11495562795211277146noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-460474552118769771.post-48548434785836516832015-10-26T14:24:27.907-07:002015-10-26T14:24:27.907-07:00I'd never heard that Castle's ODH was rele...I'd never heard that Castle's ODH was released in b&w, and though I can't swear that I didn't see it broadcast in b&w earlier, I'm pretty sure the broadcast version I most recently saw was in color. Probably the color version was more salable to current film packagers. It's possible that the Castle version might've seemed a bit more creepy in b&w.<br /><br />I can see Poston's appearance on THRILLER leading to the movie roles, all right. Though Castle's best known for biting Hitchcock's style, I can imagine that he'd tend to follow an ahthology series like THRILLER, which used a lot of character actors, just as Castle did. Supposedly comedy was Castle's first love, so maybe if John Wayne was the persona through which John Ford worked his magic, Poston was actually closer in spirit to Castle than Vincent Price.<br /><br />I hadn't heard that "Masquerade" was shot at the PSYCHO house; interesting. And yes, Montgomery's career in fantasy-comedy certainly went on to bigger things, including a cameo in one of her husband's "beach films," though not one of the two Robert Dillon scripted. Still an interesting "six degrees" connection.Gene Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11495562795211277146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-460474552118769771.post-52810221764941728502015-10-25T00:37:27.347-07:002015-10-25T00:37:27.347-07:00I'm curious, Gene, if you saw the black and wh...I'm curious, Gene, if you saw the black and white or color version of the Castle ODH. The black and white is the only one I know, and it's a beauty. I can see why, though it was filmed in color, they released in in b & w. It plays like a Thriller episode that way. I find it rather ironic and fitting that Tom Poston appeared in one of the few comedy Thrillers (TV series), Masquerade, and he was very good in it. Was this why William Castle went on to use Poston in two films over the next two years?<br /><br />Poston's co-star in that episode, Elizabeth Montgomery, went on to do more horror comedy as well when cast as Samantha the witch on Bewitched. The Thriller ep, btw, used the Psycho house, still looking inside and out as it did in the Hitchcock picture from a year earlier. That Hitchcock presumably made Psycho to "cash in" on the horror cycle that Castle was such a huge part of sort of brings us all back to the original ODH, in which Thriller host Boris Karloff had a prominent supporting role. No, the movie isn't what it might have been but the Whale-ophiles over on the Scarlet Street board love it, and it's definitely a cult classicjohn kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-460474552118769771.post-67343945645881376392015-10-23T15:00:14.283-07:002015-10-23T15:00:14.283-07:00I wanted to review the Whale OLD DARK HOUSE as wel...I wanted to review the Whale OLD DARK HOUSE as well, but couldn't lay hands on a copy for re-viewing. Just going on memory I don't think it's one of the stronger Whale vehicles. I only remember a small handful of images, rather than the whole story. Moreover, I've seen other "old dark house" films that I found more interesting.<br /><br />At least in this case Caste's ODH was lively, which is more than I can say for some of his comedies.Gene Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11495562795211277146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-460474552118769771.post-89739242592268037762015-10-22T03:23:32.677-07:002015-10-22T03:23:32.677-07:00I saw the William Castle Old Dark House in the the...I saw the William Castle Old Dark House in the theater upon its initial release and enjoyed it immensely. It was like a British take on a Chas Addams cartoon. Loads of fun, an immensely likable Tom Poston in the lead, plus some fine (and in a couple of cases) cute supporting players. The house was nicely realized, well designed (real old dark house?,--possible). <br /><br />The plot twists were amusing to this at the time eleven year old, and when I saw it on television several years later it still held up, though this was one small scale black and white movie that really looked better on the big screen., where it draws the viewer into the action and suspense more effectively.<br /><br />As to comparing it to the supposedly "sublime' and "outrageous" 1932 James Whale original this is a (very rare for me) case of preferring the remake to the original. The print of the original is poor, and I've never seen a good one. The opening storm scenes on the back roads of Wales are nicely handled, the cast is more distinguished than one in the remake; but it's arch humor and dank atmosphere make its feel chilly. It could make me want to put on a sweater in mid August! The ending is, I suppose, better than the one in the remake, but aside from Ernest Thesiger most of the cast are not in top form.<br /><br />Overall, I rate James Whale a better director than William Castle by far, but they had at least one thing in common: their output was never consistently good. The quality of their films vary. Whale's films, the best of them, are way superior to Castle's but some of Castle's best work is better than Whale's worst.<br /><br />Good stuff on this blog, Gene, and by all means keep up the good work,<br /><br /><br />John (aka Telegonus)john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.com