El castillo del ogro

I'm surprised at having never heard of this film because it's certainly part of the genre I enjoy. To see Charles Laughton and Boris Karloff as the stars, I thought it was worth a look. Of course, it is full of formulaic stuff, with the madman Laughton carrying decades of anger after being jilted, exacting his revenge at the daughter of his adversary. He lives in a hideous mansion, full of torture devices and secrets. He is surrounded by toadies whom he mistreats, but who are beholding to him. A young man is shanghaied because he is a scoundrel. Laughton wants him to become the groom to the young woman's bride. Karloff, for some reason, is able to lurk around the castle, peeking through doors and protecting a prisoner. Of course, love will out and that throws a monkey wrench into things. There is also the classic flaw of the villain just going a bit too far in his efforts to gain vengeance. Still, there is lots of suspense and a satisfactory plot line.

Aside from Karloff being one of my favorite actors with his numerous character portrayals. Charles Laughton can compliment any script he was an outstanding talent. His character in The Strange Door highlights his ability for sophisticated characterization of a truly ruthless and vindictive man, it is outstanding and I am astonished by this films low marks. It gets an 8 from me and I even toyed with rating it higher. And of course there is Karloff I can't say enough about his talents. The Gothic atmosphere all the secret passageways make for a great castle adventure. I purchased this film in a Boris Karloff collection which includes The Tower of London and 4 or 5 other great Karloff films but once again Laughton is by far the great talent in this Gothic horror flick from the early 50s.

Vastly underrated, at least compared to the IMDb rating (5.9). I mean, come on, a movie starring Charles Laughton and Boris Karloff? That alone makes it pretty awesome. And even aside from them, the movie's just darn good. It's a Gothic horror about a French nobleman (Laughton) who captures a rogue (Richard Wyler) and tries to force him to marry his niece (Sally Forrest) to spite her father (Paul Cavanagh), whom Laughton has imprisoned in his dungeon for the past 20 years. Karloff plays Cavanagh's guard. The only real problem, besides its having an utterly forgettable title, is the hero, Wyler, who is not that good an actor. Fortunately, it's the kind of film where all eyes are on the awesome supporting cast, so it's easy to forget about him. Joseph Pevney is probably best known for directing 14 Star Trek episodes, including "The Trouble with Tribbles".

The Strange Door (1951) is released by Universal Pictures, it's directed by Joseph Pevney and stars Charles Laughton, Boris Karloff, and Sally Forrest. Based on the short story, The Sire de Maletroit's Door by Robert Louis Stevenson, it comes with much horror credentials. However, and in spite of it constantly being tagged a horror film, The Strange Door is more a Gothic thriller tinged with madness and all round nastiness.

The story is a solid one as Laughton's Sire Alain de Maletroit plots revenge against his younger brother, Edmund {Paul Cavanagh}, revenge that comes in the form of imprisonment down in the family dungeon for 20 years. Not content with that, Maletroit, after telling her that her father is dead, makes Edmund's daughter, Blanche's {Forrest}, life a misery. Culminating in a forced marriage to scallywag Denis de Beaulieu {Richard Stapley/Whyler)} who has been duped and trapped in the Maletroit castle. But Maletroit hadn't planned for Blanche & Denis to hit it off, and also lurking in the shadows is servant Voltan {Karloff} who is loyal to the imprisoned Edmund.

This is very much an acting piece, both Laughton & Karloff could overact with the best of them, but the results were never less than entertaining. Such is the case here as Pevney creates a moody Gothic atmosphere in the shadowy Maletroit home, and then, lets his actors run with Stevenson's genesis source. There's much dastardly talking and the odd perky moment dotted along the way, but really it's only the lead actors that keep the piece from stagnating. Particularly at the midpoint when the good old romantic thread starts to be pulled.

Still it's a recommended film for sure, for its sets {Universal rarely fails to deliver here}, mood and its two scene stealing lead actors. Just don't go in expecting an outright horror film is all. 6.5/10

A minor but irresistible Gothic melodrama with a rampant star performance by Charles Laughton (though he gets little to do in the second half - in fact, the film sags a bit during its latter stages). Boris Karloff's role is a good one, though clearly supporting Laughton rather than co-starring; actually, too much time is devoted to the rather insipid romantic leads (Richard Stapley and Sally Forrest) - though the supporting cast (including character actors such as Paul Cavanaugh, Michael Pate and Alan Napier) is adequate enough.

The plot itself is quite intriguing - leading up to a satisfying climax that's strikingly similar to the one in another Karloff film, THE RAVEN (1935). Of course, THE STRANGE DOOR reunites Karloff with Laughton almost 20 years after THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932) - as in that film, they engage in a fisticuff at the end - and also returns the actor to Robert Louis Stevenson territory (albeit in a non-villainous role) after his unforgettable turn in THE BODY SNATCHER (1945). Despite the obvious low-budget (a fact that is betrayed, more than anything else, by having its entire score comprised of themes from previous studio efforts - including the nth revamp of the instantly recognizable cue from THE WOLF MAN [1941]!), the film is crisply shot in black-and-white and, in spite of the rather pedestrian direction, it makes the most of its limited sets.