Rating: 
Summary: A One-of-a-Kind Movie
Review: "The Old Dark House" a horror film? Perhaps psychological thriller is closer to fitting it in a pigeonhole. The film has been called a masterpiece, and it certainly is, but it also does not fit into a category easily. One could see in Boris Karloff's character (one that he was reluctant to play) a Frankenstein monster, particularly since he cannot speak and produces a mumbling sound but even though his billing as "Karloff" was high on the credits, his part was not so big. James Whale made this film to be dark comedy with an old broken down house as the center of the action inhabited by people who resemble gargoyles as opposed to the people who are forced to take shelter. The cast is simply wonderful: Ernest Thesinger, Eva Moore (as his domineering sister), Raymond Massey, Melvin Douglas, Gloria Stuart and Elspeth Dudgeon as the 102-year old father. This was the first film that Charles Laughton made in Hollywood, on load from Paramount, but "The Old Dark House" was released after Paramount's "The Devil in the Deep." He makes an good impression on screen even with the formidable cast he faces. "The Old Dark House" is great fun, and Kino has provided a good print. The sound is a little antique, compared to what we have today, but the ear adjusts to it quickly enough. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: James Whale has a stellar cast but a second rate horror film
Review: "The Old Dark House" is a bit disappointing simply because with all the talent collected on both sides of the camera you would expect an absolute classic horror film. This 1932 film is directed by James Whale based on the novel by J. B. Priestley. In front of the camera are Boris Karloff, Melyvn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart, Lilian Bond, Ernest Thesiger and Raymond Massey. During a raging storm in the Welsh mountains, Philip Waverton (Massey), his wife Margaret (Stuart) and Roger Penderel (Douglas) seek refuge in an old house. Inside are Horace Femm (Thesiger), an eccentric atheist; his sister Rebecca (Eva Moore), a religious fanatic; and Morgan (Karloff), their mute hulking butler, who has a tendency to get homicidal when he becomes drunk. Two other weary travelers, Sir William Porterhouse (Laughton) and Gladys DuCane (Bond) are stuck for the night as well. Morgan gets drunk and attacks Margaret and things continue to escalate until the butler frees Saul (Brember Wills), a pyromaniac locked up in a remote wing of the house. The set up is a bit forced, as this is probably the oddest group of people thrown together during a storm you will ever see in a film and while the second half is suspenseful as things get out of hand the finale is rather unsatisfying. "The Old Dark House" is the first film in which Karloff gets top billing and it was the first American film for both Laughton and Massey.
Rating:
Summary: James Whale has a stellar cast but a second rate horror film
Review: "The Old Dark House" is a bit disappointing simply because with all the talent collected on both sides of the camera you would expect an absolute classic horror film. This 1932 film is directed by James Whale based on the novel by J. B. Priestley. In front of the camera are Boris Karloff, Melyvn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart, Lilian Bond, Ernest Thesiger and Raymond Massey. During a raging storm in the Welsh mountains, Philip Waverton (Massey), his wife Margaret (Stuart) and Roger Penderel (Douglas) seek refuge in an old house. Inside are Horace Femm (Thesiger), an eccentric atheist; his sister Rebecca (Eva Moore), a religious fanatic; and Morgan (Karloff), their mute hulking butler, who has a tendency to get homicidal when he becomes drunk. Two other weary travelers, Sir William Porterhouse (Laughton) and Gladys DuCane (Bond) are stuck for the night as well. Morgan gets drunk and attacks Margaret and things continue to escalate until the butler frees Saul (Brember Wills), a pyromaniac locked up in a remote wing of the house. The set up is a bit forced, as this is probably the oddest group of people thrown together during a storm you will ever see in a film and while the second half is suspenseful as things get out of hand the finale is rather unsatisfying. "The Old Dark House" is the first film in which Karloff gets top billing and it was the first American film for both Laughton and Massey.
Rating: 
Summary: The title says it all!
Review: A relentless thunderstorm forces an odd assortment of travelers to seek shelter in an isolated country house. There, they meet a sinister, ill-tempered old woman and her bitter, cowardly brother. They have potatoes for dinner. There are flickering lights, strange noises, and crazy relatives locked in the attic. And Boris Karloff is the butler. You can see Gloria Stuart, now famous for her role in Titanic, in one of the films that inspired her to quit show business the first time around.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Horror Film of All Time
Review: About two couples breaking down in a bad thunderstorm and forced to seek shelter in an eerie mansion. (This is an excelent film to show on a stormy night).
Rating:
Summary: Karloff is Creepy as Ever
Review: After getting lost in the Welsh Mountains a group people seek safety from a raging storm at a nearby creepy old mansion. The house is occupied by a strange group of people to include Morgan (Karloff - his first staring role) who is a mute butler, who becomes dangerous when drunk. The secret of The Old Dark House is revealed! The movie has a number of stars or soon to be stars:
Boris Karloff - Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy, etc.
Raymond Massey - Things to Come
Melvyn Douglas - Tonight or Never, The Vampire Bat
Gloria Stuart - Secret of the Blue Room, The Invisible Man
Charles Laughton - Island of Lost Souls, Mutiny on the Bounty, Hunchback of Notre Dame
Ernest Thesiger - Bride of Frankenstein, The Man in the White Suit, The Robe
Rating:
Summary: No gods or monsters
Review: All reviews (including this one) can be wrong. I relied on reviews from all sources to decide to buy this DVD. The feeble attempt to link the quality of the original "Frankenstein" to this film via a graphics screen between the titles and the film itself says it all: no one saw it. The print is often inadequate. The script puerile. The plot short and shoddy except for atmospheric changes which may be mistaken for bad image treatment. Without Karloff (who's wasted as a drunk) and the recent release of James Whale's autopix 'Gods and Monsters' no one would care any more about this film than they would George W. Bush without his father's presidency. Melvyn Douglas' performance is the DVD's one saving grace. Why Melvyn? Film restoration is priceless. Given the content, so is this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
Review: Although I am one of Amazon's best customers, I'm sure, I came here simply to give my thoughts on this movie, since I was rather "bowled over by it," and I'm VERY critical. I am an absolute devotee to this old cultesque genre of films. Give me a stormy night, lots of screams, new corpses (and/or old), secret panels and passages, and such, and no REAL violence, and I have something though occasionally chilling just highly entertaining. Pure entertainment without what we see too often in present-day films. I am a scholar of live drama and cinema and can only say this is perhaps, of all I've seen, the best in this genre an all accounts: writing, acting, directing, photography--name it. If you have a love for these often trite movies, you'll find this one to be extraordinary. I only gave it a four-star rating, since a better film may (doubtfully) come along--but would it be in the wonderfully stark black-and-white, which adds so much to the effect? This is an all-time classic with all the finest elements and techniques. Buy it. Now. It may not be available long.
Rating:
Summary: A classic of the macabre
Review: Although I had previously seen many of James Whale's other films--including both the Frankenstein films, SHOW BOAT, THE INVISIBLE MAN, THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK, and others--I wasn't prepared to enjoy this film quite as much as I did. The film depends on two major elements for its appeal. On the one hand, a carefully cultivated and sustained atmosphere, and in this Whale is amazingly successful. From the movie's first moments, when an early 1930s automobile--sans side windows!--lurches and lunges through a torrential downpour, to the climax of the film, Whale is masterful in sustaining the mood of the film. The second element is a magnificently balanced ensemble cast. This is a film with no "star". Instead, a number of strong characters balance one another. Ernest Thesiger, Melvyn Douglas, Raymond Massey, the incredibly beautiful Lillian Bond, Boris Karloff, all round out a superb cast. I should add that I found Charles Laughton somewhat disappointing. As perhaps the finest "ham" actor in the history of film, I expected something a little more interesting out of him. He usually manages to take over a film like this one, but instead is merely another adornment. All in all, a fabulously entertaining film. Perhaps not as well known as some of Whale's other films, but certainly every bit as excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Great ensemble
Review: An oldy but goody that's great for a stormy night! Not perfect, but one that you can see repeatedly. With masterful "lighting" and a great cast, this one is a real timeless gem!
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