Something Creeping in the Dark

Small horror film which deals with the closed circuit in a haunted house theme. During a tempest night, some car drivers are constrained to shelter in an isolated mansion in the countryside, lured by some kind of Prospero's spell. There is a couple of jaded socialites on their way to a feast, Donald (Giacomo Rossi Stuart, La Notte che Evelyn usci dalla tomba) and his wife Sylvia (Lucia Bosé, La Controfigura), who despises and dominates him. There is Spike (Farley Granger, La Rossa dalla pelle che scotta), a dangerous murderer, who has just been caught by the inspector Wright (Dino Fazio, the producer of the film) and the detective Sam (Franco Beltramme, Il Dolce Corpo di Deborah). There is a pair of doctors on their way to handle an operation, Williams (Stelvio Rosi aka Stan Cooper, Il Gattopardo) and Susan (Mia Genberg, Silenzio si uccide). And the philosophy professor Lawrence (Francesco Lavagnino, the music composer of the film), who seems to know well the area.

All are received by the butler Joe (Gianni Medici aka John Hamilton, Le Notti della Violenza) and his girlfriend (Giulia Rovai), who try in vain to discourage them to stay in this house. Because it was the property of the defunct Lady Sheila Marlow, whose photo portrait (picture of Loredana Nusciak, Folle à tuer) stares at them in the lounge. Having a sulfurous fame, she was an adept of occultism and black magic, accused of having killed her husband, and finally she died in mysterious circumstances.

Excited by this thrilling mood, Sylvia organizes a medium seance to recall Sheila's spirit, but after a disturbing lightning, a threatening presence becomes to "creep in the dark", putting the guests under its influence. And it's like the inhibitions of civilized life vanish to free the instincts and the secret desires of each one, revealing their own truth. Indeed the film is not quite extraordinary nor specially original, but he manages to perpetuate the suspense and to bring the spectator during all this long night until dawn.

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.

I first became aware of this (and its equally obscure director) via the *** star rating on the "Giallo" section of the "Cult Filmz" website; incidentally, I also did not know that Farley Granger had worked so extensively in Italy – in that Luchino Visconti's SENSO (1954) was no fluke (I recently watched him in a hybrid poliziottesco/giallo, and another good one it was, Massimo Dallamano's WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS? [1974])! Having mentioned the latter, this too is as much a horror piece as a giallo since it involves a manifestation brought about by a séance conducted at dead-of-night. The cast is quite interesting – not only mixing familiar/international names (including, apart from the afore-mentioned American actor, Italians Lucia Bose' and Giacomo Rossi-Stuart) with unknown faces, but there are even a couple of behind-the-camera personnel (producer Dino Fazio and renowned composer Angelo Francesco Lavagnino, who also supplies a fine moody score) in the significant roles of Police Inspector and Professor/Occultist respectively! The plot is the typical 'old dark house' routine throwing myriad characters together, stranded by bad weather in a remote and forbidding environment (adding plenty of atmosphere to the already dour brew); harking back to Agatha Christie's much-filmed "And Then There Were None" prototype rather than the traditional stalk'n'slash formula, it is something of a quintessential offering (thus undeservedly overlooked) in this regard. By the way, the notion of having the spirit at large possessing members of the household in turn to commit mayhem would be adopted by Hollywood much later for the not-too-bad IDENTITY (2003)! The still attractive (and former Miss Italy) Bose' was on something of a latter-day roll during this period – since, among others, she made two similarly notable (and likewise strange) efforts i.e. Romolo Guerrieri's THE DOUBLE (1971) and Giulio Questi's extremely-rare ARCANA (1972); unfortunately, her character is made to expire halfway through, but the actress nonetheless makes a lasting impression. Ditto Granger, uncharacteristically cast here as a hardened criminal, pretty much retains the youthful looks that had served the Hollywood veteran so well in his heyday; the film's marvelous – if somewhat abrupt – finale has him as the ghost's latest 'fall guy', to adopt a noir phrase (a genre which tended to elicit the best from the actor).

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...