La malédiction des Whateley

Even though I was tremendously looking forward to "The Shuttered Room", for a variety of reasons, it pains me to say the film never at one point surpasses the level of mediocrity.

Here are a few reasons why I eagerly anticipated the film: #1 - the source material. The script is adapted from a short story by none other than H. P. Lovecraft. He's one of the greatest authors who ever lived, and his bleak tales always guarantee horrifying denouements. #2 - The cast. Next to the unearthly beautiful Carol Lynley ("Bunny Lake is Missing", "The Poseidon Adventure") and the reliable veteran Flora Robson ("The Sea Hawk", "Wuthering Heights"), the film stars the downright brilliant Oliver Reed in the role that suits him best, namely the brutal and perverted village thug. #3 - the location and set pieces. Although filmed in England, "The Shuttered Room" takes place in New England (= Lovecraft Country), more particularly on a remote little island community. And you know, in horror movies, small islands and their inhabitants are always ominous!

As you see, all the ingredients for a splendid horror-cocktail are there, but regrettably the script is severely lacking. Lovecraft's "The Shuttered Room" is a SHORT story, and maybe that's what went wrong here. Quite obviously, there is something evil in the attic of the old mill, which links back to the childhood trauma of Susanna Whately and the family curse auntie Agatha keeps raving about, but the script prefers to conceal this vital aspect until the climax. Instead, it's a sort of "Straw Dogs" with Lynley and her elderly husband (Gig Young) being pursued and terrorized by the village yokels led by Oliver Reed. Interestingly, "Straw Dogs" only came out four years later and became a massive cult hit. And besides, even when "The Shuttered Room" reaches its long-overdue finale, it's still a massive letdown.

The Shuttered Room is an entertaining, sporadically suspenseful mystery-chiller which gets great mileage from a clutch of good performances. Out the four leading characters, only Carol Lynley seems misplaced. Gig Young, Flora Robson and Oliver Reed are all spot-on, especially Reed who simply excels as a lecherous thug. The story is atmospheric and unsettling, though the solution at the end resorts to an overused "monster-in-the-closet" explanation, which actually slightly damages the whole movie.

Young plays a middle-aged smoothie who has recently wed a much younger blonde bombshell (Lynley). She is amiable enough, but has frequent panic attacks related to something or someone that scared the hell out of her when she was still a baby. Young persuades her to return to the small, isolated community of her birthplace and to re-unite with the old family, hoping that by confronting her past she will be able to find out what caused her trauma and get over it. However, it turns out to be something rather threatening....

The film is nicely paced, with few tedious moments. It is well photographed too. The film has a dated look, with fashion, music and dialogue very much of its time (though, of course, that would be hard to avoid). However, for those who prefer their horror movies with subtle chills and a spooky build-up (none of that modern Hollywood gore and special effects-wizardry) this is a worthwhile experience.

Carol Lynley as a woman who returns to her childhood home on the British isles with her American husband in tow and is perplexed by the mysterious presence residing there. Screen-treatment of an H.P. Lovecraft story has too many sordid supporting characters, the heavy threat of rape, and an idiotic action sequence wherein hubby Gig Young takes down a few of the local toughs. Still, it offers a few suspenseful scenes, interesting parallels to the later "Straw Dogs", and a fine cast. Oliver Reed, sweaty and indecipherable as the most obnoxious of the villains, must've been heartsick at playing this same role again and again (he's offered no new opportunity to stretch), but Lynley and fatherly Young have a nice rapport. Overall, it's rather a lackluster thriller jazzed up with artistic cinematography and an overripe score, but the location shooting on the Norfolk Coast is good and the wrap-up satisfying. **1/2 from ****

I too watched this film as an elderly child/young adult. Up to about the late 1970's, 'The Shuttered Room' was staple late-night stock on BBC 1 and ITV, usually on a Friday or Saturday night. Then, for some reason it has never shown again to date in this country, at least to my knowledge that is.

From memory (it is a long time ago, so forgive me, for any inaccuracies!)the movie(based on a story by HP Lovecraft) is supposed to be set in a small and isolated New England fishing village (it's really shot Cornwall in England) and concerns a young well-heeled woman (Carol Lynley), returning to her roots from a posh life in the big city, with her new husband (Gig Young), fter inheriting a (supposedly) abandoned and creepy old millhouse, that she used to live in as a child. Within that house, at the very top, hidden from normal view, is a heavily locked/bolted/nailed/chained mysterious room, that within contains a dreadful, appalling secret!!!

Back to the village, which appears to contain a lot of backward old yokels/hicks putting on dodgy American regional accents - as Lynley and Young appear to be the only actual American actors in it! Also there, lurks a gang of country bumpkinish uneducated thugs, led by a young and smouldering Oliver Reed. Reed and his cronies take an immediate and intense sexual interest in Lynley, and dislike to the monied, well-dressed, big car driving city boy Young.

Without spoiling the main plot (as one day, hopefully, the movie may be shown again), events progress with Lynley meeting up with her old Aunt (Aunt, I think) (Dame Flora Robson) who lives at the top of big tower, and who makes Norman Bates's mother appears sociable and outgoing! Robson is overseer and controller of what is in the shuttered room, that all too soon, the overly inquisitive Carol, will discover to her and everybody else's cost!

The climax to the film, is genuinely terrifying (well it was when I was 12!) and involves the nasty Reed and his cronies, pursuing Gig Young in a thrilling drive-you-off-the-road car chase, through Cornish country lanes, as he races back to try to get to Carol.

The actual end of the film centres on........on..... well, I can't tell you that now can I???

Suffice to say, many may mock the quality of director David Greene's Sixites flick, as typical of the sort of low(er) budget horror shocker movies that were made in great number then. But I think 'The Shuttered Room' had/has a lot more going for it than that, and if somebody would release it to the world again, would even today, be seen by many, as a well-made, well-acted (apart from the accents!) and genuinely scary piece of work.

Outstanding and seemingly ignored horror film, based on a Lovecraft story. The creepy, intense POV shots (with accompanying weird background noises) predate Black Christmas by some five years. Also, "Shuttered Room" was almost certainly a big influence on "Straw Dogs"- a bizarre link to draw I know, but trust me, it is there. Although the film does have flaws (such as Reed's dodgy US accent, and the unintentionally hilarious karate-chopping husband), the compelling direction more than compensates. A real quality genre film.