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Horror in Black and White: The Old Dark House (1932)

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The year was 1932; the Hays Code and all its restrictions had not yet come to be, and James Whale, hot off his success with Frankenstein, gave us the gift of The Old Dark House.

This film was so many things!

For starters, Whale brought along his friend Boris Karloff to the production, making it the actor’s first credited starring role. His name was left off the publicity materials for Frankensein, and was only briefly mentioned in the end credits.

Karloff, again playing mute, is possibly more menacing that in the previous role giving a full-body performance that few could match.

Karloff wasn’t the only star-power in the film, however. Charles Laughton, Raymond Massey, Melvyn Douglas, Lilian Bond, Ernest Thesiger, and Gloria “I threw a big ass diamond into the ocean at the end of Titanic” Stuart round out this cast.

Now check out the film’s synopsis.

Seeking shelter from a pounding rainstorm in a remote region of Wales, several travelers are admitted to a gloomy, foreboding mansion belonging to the extremely strange Femm family. Trying to make the best of it, the guests must deal with their sepulchral host, Horace Femm and his obsessive, malevolent sister Rebecca. Things get worse as the brutish manservant Morgan gets drunk, runs amuck and releases the long pent-up brother Saul, a psychotic pyromaniac who gleefully tries to destroy the residence by setting it on fire.”

It doesn’t take a die hard horror fan to realize that the film laid the groundwork for a tried and true genre trope. Oh sure, the details get changed around but I bet you can name five films off the top of your head where motorists stranded in a rainstorm find themselves in a creepy old house full of even creepier residents.

Image result for The Old Dark House

There’s something suspicious going on in The Old Dark House.

What’s particularly interesting, however, is how progressive the film was, for its time.

Let me repeat that. The film was progressive for its time.

If you go in for a first time watch expecting what we’d call progressive today, you’re going to be upset.

What the film does is turn the rules of gender and sexuality on their head in ways that audiences of 1932 were not expecting.

In the Femm household, for example, it is Rebecca Femm (Eva Moore) and not her brother Horace (Thesiger) who runs the house, sets the rules for guests, etc. It might not seem like much, now, but that was really something to talk about then.

And then there’s Horace, himself. Fastidious, slightly effeminate, soft spoken Horace…

Whale, an out gay man, was clearly letting his own self shine through Horace, and the fact that he alone, of all the men in the household, shows no real interest in the ladies seems to support this. Add to that, Horace’s acidic wit, and I’m sure that more than a few queer audience members at the time cast knowing sidelong glances to their companions in the theater.

It’s sad that Horace was coded, but even in the pre-code film era, there were some things that you just could not say aloud on film in 1932.

And then there’s the surname of the family in question: Femm…that’s a whole different article to tackle, however.

The Old Dark House is entertaining on multiple levels with almost as many laughs as there are chills to be found in its 71 minute run time.

My favorite scene in the film happens when Rebecca takes Margaret Waverton (Stuart) upstairs to change out of her wet clothes.

Rather than leaving her to change in private, Rebecca insists upon staying in the room and goes on quite the melodramatic monologue about her sinful brothers and her even more sinful sister–who died previously–and the way they flaunted their lustful natures while she was forced, by their father, to remain in her room and pray.

During the entire speech, Whale intentionally distorts Rebecca’s image by filming her reflection in various almost funhouse style mirrors showing the ugliness of the woman’s jealousy over Margaret’s fine, satiny, sinfully sheer, clothing.

Perhaps that is why Rebecca cannot help but reach out to touch Rebecca’s smooth skin and then, before finally leaving the room takes a moment to check her own reflection, still slightly distorted, and smooth out her own hair before casting one glance back at the younger woman as she storms out of the door.

The Old Dark House is the perfect movie for a dark and stormy night on the couch, and it’s available to rent and/or purchase on several streaming apps including Amazon and Vudu for only $2.99!

For more Horror in Black and White coverage, check out last week’s entry on Val Lewton’s Cat People, and be sure to join us next week for another monochromatic horror gem.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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