Le château de la terreur

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".

A very neat Hammeresque thriller with some good plot twist and moody atmosphere.

A young rascal is escaping the mob after accidentally killing a man and finds himself at the door of a sinister castle. The door opens and closes after him. But very soon it seems that he has been expected at the castle and for no other reason than to marry the lady of the house. So was his getting there a coincident in the first place?

It's always nice to see two over-the-top actors fighting like professional beauties for the best of the picture. In this case, Laughton gallops away with his colours flying (in black and white). He really acts for every dollar. Perhaps Karloff would have been a better choice for this part, but Laughton's tour de force is such an enjoyment that I personally wouldn't have it any other way. Karloff's part isn't so interesting a material to start with, so he is pretty much wasted as far as his fans are concerned.

Unfortunately the romantic leads don't fare well. The heroes' part cries out for Erroll Flynn or Stuart Granger or anyone as confident, suave, butch and agile. Unfortunately Richard Stapley-Wyler has none of these qualities. Albeit undeniably handsome, his performance is timid and effeminate. It's difficult to believe that in real life Wyler used to be a road racer. He walks like a ballerina in the mud and speaks in a flat, nasal voice which he obviously tries to make sound as low as possible. His total reluctance to act is sympathetically shared by another pretty but lifeless figurine, Sally Forrest. Personally I just think she keeps herself down as the leading man doesn't light her fire. If only these two would have blended into the acting ensemble, this film would be so much more fun.

Nevertheless, nicely shot with good settings and soundtrack, it's a treat to everyone who enjoys Corman's Poe adaptations or Hammer's dark old house films. Not quite cigar, but gives a good puff of smoke.

1951's "The Strange Door" is something of a throwback to the Gothic horrors of previous decades, except that it comes from Universal, which rarely did such pictures (1939's "Tower of London" and 1940's "The House of the Seven Gables" instantly come to mind). Reuniting Charles Laughton and Boris Karloff 19 years after 1932's "The Old Dark House" (James Whale English Gothic), Laughton especially has a field day, alternately menacing and comical, and always fun to watch. Karloff is sadly reduced to a tongue-in-cheek servant role, quietly speaking his lines while rolling his eyes with great frequency. The château was used as a torture chamber during the Middle Ages, featuring a dungeon full of armor and weapons, plus a cell where the walls come together (Lugosi made use of one in 1935's "The Raven"). Richard Stapley (later Wyler) makes little impression as the hero, but Sally Forrest captures the eye as the endangered beauty (even lovelier in "Son of Sinbad" with Vincent Price, where she dances in a skimpy harem outfit). Laughton's sadistic nobleman is ably supported by a terrific supporting cast of rogues ("villainy binds men together!"), with William Cottrell, whom I've never seen in anything else, Morgan Farley, and Hollywood newcomer Michael Pate, who earns a piece of mutton for his handling of a bribe (he later starred as the vampire gunslinger in Universal's 1959 "Curse of the Undead"). Paul Cavanagh and Alan Napier have smaller roles, but are welcome faces nonetheless. This eternally underrated little 'B' features music cues from "The Wolf Man," "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man," and "House of Frankenstein," and was followed a year later by a similar Gothic, "The Black Castle," also featuring Karloff and Pate.

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.

When Charles Laughton is given good direction and a decent script he'll give you an Oscar caliber performance and has on many occasions, one of them officially. But when he's not, hmmmm............. Well what's a body to do, but make the best of it, have a little fun.

With that gleam in his eye and the shtick with the food, plagiarized from his own performance of Henry VIII, Laughton goes to town in an orgy of overacting as Andre de Maletroit, malevolent lord of the manor in 18th Century France. For reasons I'll not explain Laughton has some nefarious reasons for wanting his niece to marry the worst kind of aristocratic rake.

The niece and the rake are played respectively by Sally Forrest and Richard Stapley none too convincingly I might add. Boris Karloff is an old family servant who Laughton delights in mistreating. He also is defeated by the script and direction so he also resorts to shtick.

Boris Karloff's career is illustrative of the path that Charles Laughton's could have taken. Trapped by his performance as the Frankenstein monster, Karloff stayed in the horror genre for most of his career. It was Laughton's good fortune and acting instincts that kept him from the same fate.

The film is based on a Robert Louis Stevenson story and certainly Stevenson has had great cinema made from his stories like Treasure Island and Kidnapped. Too bad this one can't rate up there.

The Strange Door is the kind of material that in the late 50s, Hammer films would have done so well. Too bad they didn't get a crack at it here.