House of Darkness (1948)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Best movie ever!

Absolutely brilliant

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

They called them quota quickies over across the pond, what we term as B films. House Of Darkness would be a forgotten film today other than the fact it introduced Laurence Harvey in his very first film. Harvey in his time played some truly dislikeable people on the screen and he certainly gets that aspect of his personality across in this film. He plays the wastrel son who with his wife is sharing a rather large and gloomy mansion house with his much brother older brother and his wife. Brother Alexander Archdale controls the family purse strings and he keeps Harvey on a tight leash.No need to go into the plot details. House Of Darkness was shot on a few brass farthings for a budget. But the atmosphere created was pretty frightening. There was also no doubt that Laurence Harvey had some charismatic screen presence even playing a real cad. For fans of Laurence Harvey.

This film begins and ends in a bizarre fashion.George Melachrino,who had a string orchestra that rivalled Mantovannis,starts with a full orchestral number and then lurches into the tale of his stay in a haunted house.Laurence Harvey in his first film starts as he intends to go on.He is arrogant,ego maniac ambitious and almost a murderer.The screenwriter seems to have utilised parts of other films here and there.A bit of The Little Foxes,a dash of Gaslight,and a dollop of Master of Bankdam there.Whilst the supporting cast is reasonable they are literally overwhelmed by the acting of Harvey.Having acquired the house,and driven everyone else away he goes mad playing the piano.We then fade back into Henry Oscar asking George Melachrino to play another number,which he does.An interesting debut.

Conductor George Melachrino (playing himself) explains to film director Bob (Henry Oscar) how he came to write the piece of music that we hear at the beginning of the film. We go back in flashback to when he spent the night in a haunted house and heard music in the atmosphere from a forgotten time. We then go into another flashback and our main story which sees Francis (Laurence Harvey) do everything in his power to get control of the house. This includes the psychological torture of his two brothers. However, things come back to haunt him....literally....It's a short psychological thriller with a spooky element. Is the ghost of John (Alexander Archdale) a figment of Francis's imagination? Or is there something supernatural going on? How did John's picture re-appear on the wall? The cast are good although Laurence Harvey is extremely unlikeable. I know he's meant to be but he is also slimy and creepy and he's got an annoying face that makes you want to punch it. Maybe he's slightly over-the-top. Still, it's an enjoyable film while it lasts. And it inspired a piece of music!

The film opens with a man who decides to visit a house that has reputation of being haunted. He's frighten away & later learns of the manor's history.It seems many years ago two men fought over money & the ownership of the house. One thing leads to another and one of them is murdered by way a heart attack. The ghost of the dead man comes back to haunt his murderer.While this genre has been done before, I still recommend this film for its atmosphere & haunting music score. Its the kind of film you can watch with the lights off, still be entertained & not have nightmares about it. This is one of actor Laurence Harvey's earlier works & he shines in this film although some may think his acting is over-the-top. It works here because his character is slowly being driven insane.When searching for this film, try rental stores that specialize in non-mainstream films. I found this gem by accident in a rental store that actually has a section for British films.