House of the Long Shadows (1984)

Sadly Over-hyped

Nice effects though.

hyped garbage

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

..but different in many respects than the 1935 Gene Raymond version . Notable here is the presence of Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and John Carradine as some of the 'key holders'..but the main character is...Desi Arnaz Jr. (?) Actually, I was doubtful about Jr's talents, but he does pretty well sharing scenes with these giants of horror. If you don't know the story: Arnaz is an author, who takes a bet that he can write a gothic novel if he can have a weekend away from everyone. He is given a key to Baldpate, and assured he will be alone..but of course, he isn't. Along with the four mentioned, a stern matronly Shela Keith is there when he arrives, and a couple seeking shelter from the storm (of course..it's a dark and stormy night..) Julie Peasgood and Richard Todd also show up. Unlike the other filmed version, there turns out to be 'relationship' between Price, Lee, Cushing, Carradine and Keith that adds another layer to the story. The spooky turns bloody, when particularly horrific murders begin to occur, and the bodies begin to stack up, leaving Arnaz to wonder if there's another keyholder that's out for revenge. The ending is completely different than the 35 version..in fact, it's similar to the original play written by George M Cohan and I preferred it. No gangsters, no inept police..an interesting twist. Although I thought the film got off to a very slow start, it does get interesting, and worthwhile just to see some great old 'masters of horror' together..even if it's tongue-in-cheek.According to the story on the "Electric Boogaloo" documentary about Cannon films, Menahem Golan went in saying "Get me those Monster guys! We need to get them all together for one of those Monster pictures!"He was surprised when they got Price, Lee, and Cushing together, and associates later suspected Golan didn't realize that Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre were dead.

"House of the Long Shadows" is famous for the casting of horror legends Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and John Carradine in the same picture. Director Pete Walker handles these veteran performers admirably.American author Kenneth Magee (Desi Arnaz Jr.) bets his publisher Sam Allyson (Richard Todd) $20,000 that he can write a novel in 24 hours while holed up in a creepy old mansion in Wales. Driving to the mansion Magee meets newlyweds Andrew and Diane Caulder (Richard Hunter, Louise English) when he stops for directions.Arriving at the mansion and expecting it to be unoccupied, he first meets the "caretakers" (John Carradine, Sheila Keith) and then the young girl he had seen when he met with Allyson (Julie Peasgood). She warns him of imminent danger should he remain in the house.Soon other mysterious persons arrive. First is Sebastian Grisbane (Peter Cushing) and later Lionel Grisbane (Vincent Price). All gather in the dining room and we learn that the caretakers are actually Lord Grisbane (Carradine) and his daughter/care giver Victoria (Keith).We learn that 40 years earlier, the Grisbanes had locked their younger brother away for the murder of a young woman and now they all have returned in order to settle the matter. Into the fray comes Corrigan (Christopher Lee) who claims to be the potential buyer of the mansion. To further complicate matters, the Caulders, whom Magee had met on the way, arrive having lost their way.Then things start to happen. The tires of the cars are all slashed. There is no escape. Then they go to the imprisoned brother's room but he has escaped. Grisly murders ensue as Magee and the young girl Mary Norton (Peasgood) run through the mansion to try and escape the murderer. Then Corrigan reveals his secret and.............................The veteran actors now getting up in years still manage to give excellent performances. Price with his excellent diction starts us off with a creepy "I have returned" upon his entrance. Cushing as the slightly tipsy Sebastiasn, gives us what little humor there is in the film. Lee as always dominates the screen with his "I've got a secret" performance. And John Carradine also contributes as the old Lord of the manor.Of the others, Sheila Keith is good as the sister and Julie Theasgood makes a likable if not deceptive love interest. Richard Hunter has a gruesome death scene. The best that can be said about Arnaz' performance is that as an actor he made a fair singer. And it was good to see Richard Todd once again.You should be prepared for not one but two surprise endings which explains all of the goings on in the story.

An American writer goes to a remote Welsh manor on a $20,000 bet... to write the all American classic novel in twenty-four hours. Upon his arrival, the writer discovers that the manor, thought empty, actually has several, rather odd inhabitants, who make guest appearances throughout the film, and by George, don't they look familiar?.....Good old Cannon pictures, this is their attempt at making a Hammer Horror film, and they even have the cream of the crop popping up every now and again for a 'reunion' of sorts.If you view the film as if it's a comedy, there is much fun to be had.From every seasoned actor making a wonderfully impacting entrance (all that's missing is some scary incidental music when they introduce themselves), to Peter Cushings wonderful Jonathan Ross type speech impediment.The main story is very Woman In Black-esque, and the makers could have gone either way with this. If they decided to just have the writer on his own, with just the the spirits of the house, it could have been a bonafide spine tingler.But it plays more like an episode of Noels House Party. Every fifteen minutes after the second act, someone polls up, explains why they are there, slightly vex the writer and gradually reveal why they happened to turn up on this particular night.But the final act goes for broke and really shakes things up. If you were really listening to the smug American and the pompous Brit proposition each other, you can see the outcome coming a mile off, but the final third is just so much fun, you can forgive the ridiculous plot holes.It's great to see these four acclaimed horror icons in the same film, and there is a wonderful element of camp about the whole proceedings, but straight horror enthusiasts may not take kindly to the film making light of these legendary actors.Would make a very interesting triple bill with April Fool's Day, and The Game..

Desi Arnaz Jr plays Kenneth MacGee, a bull-headed American writer who boasts to his agent Sam Allyson (Richard Todd) that he can write a novel in 24 hours isolated in a remote Welsh mansion. It is to Arnaz Jr's credit that MacGee emerges as such a likable character, so brash is his character written.All the horror atmospherics are then applied - an endless storm, long shadows (naturally) and – in the film's major selling point – four of the genre's most celebrated actors. John Carradine is Elijah Grisbane, grouchy, irascible and ancient. Peter Cushing appears next as Sebastian Grisbane, lisping, tipsy and nervous. Out of the night then steps Vincent Price as Lionel Grisbane, suitably theatrical and soliloquizing. Finally, Corrigan emerges, played with typical fruity authority by Christopher Lee. Sheila Keith ably joins the ensemble as the frightening house-keeper, and Julie Peasgood, who seems to be utterly delightful in every acting job and personal appearance she has given, plays wide-eyed Mary Gorton.Emerging as an enjoyable, but far inferior version of 'The Old Dark House (1932)', this proved the final filmic project of Director Pete Walker, who had helmed a string of 1970's 'exploitation' horrors ('House of Whipcord' and 'The Flesh and Blood Show' amongst them). Never meeting with huge success, he retired from the profession after the release of this was also met with a muted response, despite being the only grouping of the four legendry thespians.A fondness of Walker is to end his film with a twist. The twist here is not only as improbable as the others, but there are several of them, piled one after the other, which leaves the viewer a little shell-shocked. Here, the twists push the narrative further towards being almost entirely tongue-in-cheek, which is either detrimental or beneficial to the film, depending on your point of view.Despite a bigger than usual budget, the director's work is still a little murky, the murders awkwardly staged. The results prove enjoyable despite the flaws, mainly because of the tremendous cast enjoying themselves.