IMDb RATING
5.4/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
In England, an American car salesman ends-up spending a stormy night at the mysterious and deadly mansion of a client's family.In England, an American car salesman ends-up spending a stormy night at the mysterious and deadly mansion of a client's family.In England, an American car salesman ends-up spending a stormy night at the mysterious and deadly mansion of a client's family.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
John Adams
- Casino Patron
- (uncredited)
Charles Addams
- Hand in Title Sequence
- (uncredited)
Jack Arrow
- Casino Employee
- (uncredited)
Jim Brady
- Casino Patron
- (uncredited)
Joyce Everson
- Casino Patron
- (uncredited)
Angela Kay
- Casino Patron
- (uncredited)
Aileen Lewis
- Casino Patron
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe drawings in the title sequence were by Charles Addams, whose whole career was inspired by the 1932 version of The Old Dark House (1932) (of which this is a remake). This is The Addams Family Charles Addams. Creator of the whole film and TV series.
- GoofsWhen Jasper claims his mother "never spent a penny!", the dubbed word we hear is 'penny', yet the word he clearly says with his mouth is 'shilling', probably because American audiences would not understand what a 'shilling' is.
- Quotes
Agatha Femm: [Knitting] I capture time and space in my stitches. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I stopped.
Tom Penderel: Happen? To you?
Agatha Femm: No, no. To the world.
- Crazy creditsDuring the opening credits, "Produced and directed by William Castle" is followed by "Directed by William Castle."
- Alternate versionsThis film was filmed in Eastmancolor, however it was released in American theaters in black and white. Color prints were released to American television, however.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Fright Night Theater: Christmas Show! (2012)
Featured review
Well, I'm a big fan of William Castle and of Hammer Horror, so I figured that this meeting between the two would be damn good. William Castle's The Old Dark House is not a remake of the classic James Whale film, and this is actually unfortunate because if it was, it no doubt would have been a better film. Instead, what we have is a plot involving an American car dealer who goes to an old house after receiving an invitation from a friend of his, who he shares a house with. While there, he is introduced to a host of strange characters, as well as a plot involving a huge inheritance. The film is obviously intended to be a comedy, but it would seem that Castle should have stuck to horror as little in this film is actually funny, and I was really bored before the ending - not something I expect from William Castle! Considering the film focuses on an 'old dark house', there's very little in the way of atmosphere and I'm guessing that Castle wanted this film to appeal to a younger audience, and for that reason - there's not much here for the older movie fan. The plot rambles on until the conclusion and by then I didn't really care what happened. Overall, this is a sub standard William Castle film if ever I saw one. Straight-Jacket, Homicidal, Mr Sardonicus, The Tingler, House on Haunted Hill and 13 Ghosts come highly recommended - this one doesn't!
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Das alte finstere Haus
- Filming locations
- Oakley Court, Windsor Road, Oakley Green, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK(exteriors used for "Femm Hall")
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 26 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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