Something Creeping in the Dark

Well, I'm a massive fan of Italian horror; particularly Giallo and Gothic horror, so I was looking forward to this given that it's meant to be a sort of cross-over between the two. However, my hopes were dashed as Something is Creeping in the Dark is one boring and poorly made film! I spent an hour and a half watching this film, and yet I really have very little to say about it. The plot is wafer thin and simply focuses on the idea of a bunch of strangers being holed up in a spooky old house for the night. However, they're not the only ones there are some ghostly presence is there too! That's it really. The attempts to build up the characters and their relationships all fall flat, and all that is left to admire is the atmosphere; which isn't exactly anything to write home about as it's a carbon copy of the atmosphere in any number of similar films and director Mario Colucci fails to bring anything new to the table. The film was obviously made on a low budget and there certainly is worse films out there - but I seriously can see no reason to bother tracking this oddity down as there's many, many better films out there too!

I originally bought this movie thinking it would be a giallo, which it is not, though clearly it is informed by such. It is actually an old- fashioned Old Dark House type of film. A motley band of characters are forced to assemble in an old creepy mansion on a dark and stormy night.

Farley Granger is fabulous as a murderer, held captive by the police (the Police Inspector is great, too).

A seance evokes what is evidently a ghost, and then spooky happenings ensue. It's the kind of a movie where everything seems creepy, but then not much actually happens. There are some acts of violence, even killings, but it's no gore fest.

Go into it expecting heaps of atmosphere and not much else.

Arriving at a countryside mansion, several strangers and police detectives holding a criminal are forced to stay with the eccentric hosts of the house and find themselves playing deadly games with each other than expected and makes for a far more dangerous stay as the guests turn up dead.

This one wasn't all that bad of an effort. One of the more engaging aspects of this one is the rather enjoyable atmosphere created throughout this one which gives this quite a lot to like. Employing the Gothic standouts in the atmospheric location and setup of the house, from the elaborate decorations, furnishings and general old-school air featured with the layout of the house structured up on a remote hilltop filled with the flair featured here. From the cloth drapings, candlelit rooms and raging thunderstorm in the background, they give this the same type of atmosphere and suspenseful air that continually appears in the older Gothic horror fare just before this one was released and eases the film into the eccentric behavior from the hosts rather well. As the first initial meeting between everyone is to offer up an orgy between them all signals, their rather bizarre behavior and straightforwardness showcasing all manner of sexual shenanigans give this a generally depraved ambiance that matches the Gothic trappings rather nicely. This also ties in nicely with the idea of the paranoia and sexual frustration that plays out here with the general air of sleaziness usually featured that manages quite a lot to like with how all the jealousies lead to pent-up rage and murder. Even as the events in the night continue, from the constant enforcement of the supernatural presences in the house which causes everyone to go crazy or the various murder guises that occur which merely add to the paranoid already featured throughout here and readily enhances this one significantly that gives it enough to hold itself out over it's few minor issues. The main problem here is the film's somewhat staid and glacial pacing that really does lower this one quite a bit. Barely anything happens at all for large portions of time as this one tends to remain wallowing in Gothic tropes for the vast majority of the time and doesn't really bring anything out of the incredibly fun atmosphere presented. This one is generally much too interested in its paranoia amongst the cast to really lift itself out of the doldrums as it moves along at a somewhat steady pace that might be considered way too slow for some to really enjoy all that much. As well, the other problem here is the rushed and nonsensical finale that brings everything to a head in a much too rushed manner as a result of the pacing setting up atmosphere over it's pacing so the film just ambles along throughout the main storyline then blazes through the final five minutes to pay it all off which leads to a truly bland effect. These are all that hold it back, though.

Rated Unrated/R: Violence, Full Nudity and Language.

In SOMETHING CREEPING IN THE DARK, a group of strangers is stranded at an old mansion due to a flood. Among them is a doctor, a cop, and a notorious criminal named Spike (Farley Granger).

Things get interesting when it's disclosed that the huge house once belonged to a witch named Sheila Marlowe. Of course, a seance is held that conjures up the deceased sorceress. Madness ensues.

Sort of.

This is a very slow-building story of occult weirdness. It's more about the macabre atmosphere. For example: There's a collection of clocks ticking continuously, growing louder as the film progresses. They all suddenly stop. Then, all start again. It's a cool effect!

All while the disembodied witch floats through the house, possessing the unsuspecting.

As supernatural thrillers go, this one is pretty tame. It's not very exciting either. By the time the bodies start piling up it's almost too late. Still, those clocks are awesome...

Extreme weather forces a group of disparate people to gather in a house once owned by a dabbler in the occult. Needless to say, something evil begins to influence events after some of these uneasy guests conduct a misguided séance.

I hadn't even heard of Something Creeping in the Dark prior to a very kind fellow IMDb user sending me a copy. It's a pretty obscure Italian horror film from the period when the giallo was the number one sub-genre from that country. Surprisingly, this isn't really a giallo at all, despite often having the feel of one. Instead it is resolutely an example of a supernatural occult chiller. It builds up its setup quite well with a tense credit sequence with dramatic music and odd freeze-frames that announce the various cast and crew. Events soon end up at the aforementioned mansion but truthfully not a great deal is made of the premise and there is overall quite a limited supply of action or thrills on offer. It has some dreamlike sequences though and it overall has a decent enough atmosphere but you can't help but feel it could have been executed with a bit more vigour and it does pale a bit when compared to most other Italian horrors and thrillers from the early 70's. Nevertheless, it's not exactly a dud either and could maybe best be described as a fairly workmanlike chiller.