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The Old Dark House

The Old Dark House

Drama · Horror · Thriller · 1932

In a remote region of Wales, five travelers beset by a relentless storm find shelter in an old mansion.

Movie details

The Old Dark House

“Beware the night!”

1932 Drama · Horror · Thriller 1h 10m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.7 / 10

Community rating

In a remote region of Wales, five travelers beset by a relentless storm find shelter in an old mansion.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Old Dark House?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Hound of the Baskervilles

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Peeping Tom

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The Tomb of Ligeia

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The Parts You Lose

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

James Whale

Written by

Benn W. Levy

Boris Karloff

Boris Karloff

Morgan

Melvyn Douglas

Melvyn Douglas

Penderel

Charles Laughton

Charles Laughton

Sir William Porterhouse

Lilian Bond

Lilian Bond

Gladys

Ernest Thesiger

Ernest Thesiger

Horace Femm

Eva Moore

Eva Moore

Rebecca Femm

Raymond Massey

Raymond Massey

Philip Waverton

Court is in session

Put The Old Dark House on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.