House of Darkness

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!

Everybody seems to be down on Lawrence Harvey for playing not just this cad, but many others, so that they find him dislikeable. But if one is going to play cads, one should very definitely come over as dislikeable. For the record, and for those who don't go far enough back, when Harvey became a world star, and during his years in the U.S., he appeared on any number of talk shows (including Jack Paar's and Johnny Carson's) and he was always an absolutely delightful and very loquacious guest, who could give Robert Morley a run for his money when it came to story-telling and general commentary. Indeed, I remember Paar once commenting (I think while going for a commercial break) something like, "Well, we certainly don't want to interrupt you - not that it's likely we ever could!", so Harvey put on a good act on the screen. Anyway, this is really a quite amazing film debut for an actor who was only 19 at the time, and while everyone else is quite good (and Ms. Osmond, whom I cannot recall seeing before, is absolutely gorgeous in the same way that the young Patricia Medina was), it is Harvey's performance as a man certainly a decade older than the actor who really holds the film up and keeps it going. Shades of the precocious Orson Welles, but even Orson was well over 19 when he got into film. Actually, the only thing really wrong with the movie is the God-awful opening and closing sequences with George Melachrino, surely amongst the most gratuitous scenes ever filmed for a movie like this one. The film isn't as creepy as some have indicated, but the scene with Harvey playing a demonic piano while a shadow on the wall plays an equally demonic violin should stay in the memory.

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.

Top billing in the opening cast credits goes to orchestra leader George Melachrino, and his music on the soundtrack is sometimes so loud it makes it hard to make out the dialogue; but the unchallenged star of this slice of spooky period hokum is the very young Laurence Harvey, who has special billing to himself in this, his film debut.

Most of Harvey's early film appearances under his contract with Associated British were petty inconspicuous, so it comes as a shock to discover that his actual debut was here in a very showy lead role with lots and lots of sneering close-ups. Aged just 19, still with a hint of puppy fat about his features and immaculately turned out in bow-tie and Edwardian costume, he looks little different from his days of Hollywood stardom just over ten years later, but is even less endearing than usual as an arrogant, self-centred schemer. Obviously made on a shoestring but strangely compelling viewing, you won't forget the ghostly musical duet at the end in a hurry!

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.