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Theme: Old Dark House Thrillers


During the 1920s, the stage developed its own genre of thriller/comedies that took place in large gloomy old mansions. These were soon adapted onto film beginning in the mid-1920s. The genre peaked in the 1930s and 40s but died away after that apart from occasional stragglers.

The plots of these would usually centre a diverse group of relatives or interested parties; an innocent heroine; a criminal usually known as some type of animal; a gloomy old mansion as setting; and a balance of comedy and thrills (although some of the films are pure thrillers and feature no comedy, while later efforts of the 1930s/40s emphasise more of the comedy). Supernatural elements do appear but these are always revealed to be mundane in nature with absurdly contrived end explanations.


Arnold (1973)

21 October 202024 October 2020

Rating: ★★

Old Dark House Comedy-Thriller

Director: Georg Fenady
Actors: Stella Stevens, Roddy McDowall, Elsa Lanchester, Farley Granger, …
Category: Horror

The Bat (1926)

16 November 201630 October 2019

Rating: ★★★★

Old Dark House Thriller/Silent Movie

Director: Roland West
Actors: Emily Fitzroy, Louise Fazenda, Tullio Carminadi, Eddie Gribbon, …
Category: Horror

The Bat (1959)

21 January 201030 October 2019

Rating: ★

Old Dark House Thriller

Director: Crane Wilbur
Actors: Agnes Moorehead, Vincent Price, Lenitra Lane, Gavin Gordon, …
Category: Horror

The Bat Whispers (1930)

1 February 200130 October 2019

Rating: ★★★★

Old Dark House Comedy-Thriller

Director: Roland West
Actors: Chester Morris, Una Merkel, Grayce Hampton, Maude Eburne, …
Category: Horror

Castle of Evil (1966)

10 June 201330 January 2020

Rating: ★★

Old Dark House/Killer Robot

Director: Francis D. Lyon
Actors: Scott Brady, Shelley Morrison, Virginia Mayo, Lisa Gaye, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Cat and the Canary (1927)

9 November 200219 June 2020

Rating: ★★★★

Old Dark House Thriller

Director: Paul Leni
Actors: Laura La Plante, Creighton Hale, Arthur Edmund Carewe, George Siegmann
Category: Horror

The Cat and the Canary (1939)

11 July 201125 March 2020

Rating: ★★★

Old Dark House Comedy

Director: Elliott Nugent
Actors: Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, George Zucco, Gale Sondergaard, …
Category: Horror

The Cat and the Canary (1978)

27 December 200725 March 2020

Rating: ★★

Old Dark House Thriller

Director: Radley Metzger
Actors: Carol Lynley, Olivia Hussey, Edward Fox, Honor Blackman, …
Category: Horror

Dark and Stormy Night (2009)

13 June 201329 July 2021

Rating: ★★★

Old Dark House Parody

Director: Larry Blamire
Actors: Daniel Roebuck, Jennifer Blaire, Dan Conroy, Brian Howe, …
Category: Horror

Dark Places (1973)

6 June 201719 June 2020

Rating: ★★

Psycho-Thriller

Director: Don Sharp
Actors: Robert Hardy, Joan Collins, Christopher Lee, Herbert Lom, …
Category: Horror

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)

27 June 20172 April 2021

Rating: ★★

Haunted House Comedy

Director: Alan Rafkin
Actors: Don Knotts, Joan Staley, Liam Redmond, Dick Sargent, …
Category: Horror

The Ghost Breakers (1940)

21 November 201320 September 2021

Rating: ★★★

Old Dark House Comedy

Director: George Marshall
Actors: Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, Willie Best, Paul Lukas, …
Category: Horror

Ghosts on the Loose (1943)

8 April 200129 September 2021

Rating: ★

Idiots in a Sinister House

Director: William Beaudine
Actors: Bela Lugosi, Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Rick Vallin, …
Category: Horror

The Ghoul (1933)

20 March 201324 February 2020

Rating: ★★½

Resurrection/Old Dark House Thriller

Director: T. Hayes Hunter
Actors: Boris Karloff, Ernest Thesiger, Cedric Hardwicke, Anthony Bushell, …
Category: Horror

The Gorilla (1939)

15 July 201129 September 2021

Rating: ★★

Old Dark House Comedy-Thriller

Director: Allan Dwan
Actors: Harry Ritz, Al Ritz, Jimmy Ritz, Lionel Atwill, …
Category: Horror

Haunted Honeymoon (1986)

11 January 20031 July 2021

Rating: 0­

Old Dark House Comedy

Director: Gene Wilder
Actors: Gene Wilder, Dom de Luise, Gilda Radner, Jonathan Pryce, …
Category: Horror

The Haunted House of Horror (1969)

8 July 20052 July 2021

Rating: ★★

Old Dark House Thriller

Director: Michael Armstrong
Actors: Frankie Avalon, Richard O'Sullivan, Jill Haworth, Julian Barnes, …
Category: Horror

Hell Night (1981)

25 January 20036 July 2021

Rating: ★★

Slasher/Old Dark House

Director: Tom De Simone
Actors: Linda Blair, Vincent Van Patten, Peter Barton, Kevin Brophy, …
Category: Horror

Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967)

5 January 201412 February 2020

Rating: 0­

Country and Western Singers in a Haunted House Comedy

Director: Jean Yarbrough
Actors: Lon Chaney Jr, John Carradine, Basil Rathbone, Joi Lansing, …
Category: Horror

Hold That Ghost (1941)

15 July 200023 July 2021

Rating: ★★

Two Idiots in a Haunted House

Director: Arthur Lubin
Actors: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Richard Carlson, Evelyn Ankers, …
Category: Horror

The Horror of It All (1964)

19 July 200224 March 2020

Rating: ★★

Old Dark House Comedy

Director: Terence Fisher
Actors: Pat Boone, Dennis Price, Valentine Dyall, Andree Melly
Category: Horror

The House in Nightmare Park (1973)

2 February 200321 October 2020

Rating: ★

Old Dark House Comedy

Director: Peter Sykes
Actors: Frankie Howerd, Ray Milland, Hugh Burden, Kenneth Griffith, …
Category: Horror

House of Evil (1971)

30 January 202030 January 2020

Rating: ½

Murders in a Sinister Old Mansion/Evil Toys

Director: Jack Hill, Juan Ibañez
Actors: Boris Karloff, Julissa, Angel Espinoza, Beatriz Baz, …
Category: Horror

House of the Long Shadows (1983)

12 April 200321 October 2020

Rating: ★★

Old Dark House Thriller

Director: Pete Walker
Actors: Christopher Lee, Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, John Carradine, …
Category: Horror

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

18 November 200017 June 2021

Rating: ★★★

Haunted House

Director: William Castle
Actors: Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Elisha Cook Jr, Richard Long, …
Category: Horror

The House on Skull Mountain (1974)

19 July 20102 September 2021

Rating: ★★★

Blaxploitation/Voodoo Killings

Director: Ron Honthaner
Actors: Victor French, Janee Michelle, Jean Durand
Category: Horror

The Last Warning (1929)

9 January 201931 January 2021

Rating: ★★★

Killer Stalks a Broadway Theatre

Director: Paul Leni
Actors: Laura La Plante, Montagu Love, Roy D'Arcy, John Boles, …
Category: Horror

Night Monster (1942)

12 May 202112 May 2021

Rating: ★★★

Murder Mystery/Lurking Monster

Director: Ford Beebe
Actors: Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Leif Erickson, Ralph Morgan, …
Category: Horror

The Old Dark House (1932)

30 January 200521 June 2021

Rating: ★★★★

Old Dark House Comedy-Thriller

Director: James Whale
Actors: Ernest Thesiger, Melvyn Douglas, Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton, …
Category: Horror

The Old Dark House (1963)

27 June 201721 June 2021

Rating: ★

Old Dark House Comedy

Director: William Castle
Actors: Tom Poston, Robert Morley, Janette Scott, Fenella Fielding, …
Category: Horror

Scared Stiff (1953)

31 May 201020 September 2021

Rating: ★★½

Haunted House Comedy

Director: George Marshall
Actors: Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, George Dolenz, Carmen Miranda, …
Category: Horror

Scared to Death (1947)

19 June 201130 August 2018

Rating: ★★

Old Dark House/Sinister Hypnotist

Director: Christy Cabanne
Actors: Bela Lugosi, George Zucco, Nat Pendleton, Molly Lamont, …
Category: Horror

Seven Footprints to Satan (1929)

18 March 201330 August 2018

Rating: ★★★½

Old Dark House Thriller

Director: Benjamin Christensen
Actors: Creighton Hale, Thelma Todd, William V. Mong, Sojin, …
Category: Horror

Spooks Run Wild (1941)

8 August 201329 September 2021

Rating: ★★

Old Dark House Comedy

Director: Phil Rosen
Actors: Leo Gorcey, Bela Lugosi, Sunshine Sammy Morrison, Huntz Hall, …
Category: Horror

Topper Returns (1941)

11 September 201330 August 2018

Rating: ★★★

Ghost Screwball Comedy

Director: Roy Del Ruth
Actors: Roland Young, Joan Blondell, Carole Landis, Billie Burke, …
Category: Fantasy

Who Killed Doc Robbin (1948)

18 September 201425 December 2018

Rating: ★★

Old Dark House Comedy

Director: Bernard Carr
Actors: Larry Olsen, Dale Belding, Eilene Janssen, Gerald Perreau, …
Category: Horror

You’ll Find Out (1940)

29 March 200825 August 2021

Rating: ★★

Old Dark House Comedy

Director: David Butler
Actors: Kay Kyser, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Peter Lorre, …
Category: Horror

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Theme Essays

  • Virtual Reality
  • Imprisonment Thrillers
  • Films Depicting NASA and the Space Program
  • Human Bloodsports and Death Games
  • Animals Attack Films
  • Films About Plague and Pandemic
  • Disaster Movies
  • Steampunk Films
  • Documentaries
  • Films About Halloween
  • Films About Prophecy
  • Nazis
  • Magicians and Sorcerers
  • Secret Societies
  • Real-Life People in Fiction
  • Techno-Thrillers
  • Twins in Fantastic Cinema
  • Asylums
  • Possession Films
  • Sexual Fetishism in Fantastic Cinema
  • Films About Imaginary and Magical Lands
  • Religion in Fantastic Cinema
  • Romantic Comedies
  • Film Noir
  • Spy Films
  • Jekyll and Hyde Films
  • Films That Make Dubious Claims to Being Based on True Stories
  • Coming of Age Stories in Fantastic Cinema
  • Films About Cryogenics and Suspended Animation
  • Alternate History Films
  • Disturbed Psychology as Portrayed on Film
  • Law Enforcement in Fantastic Cinema
  • Weird Westerns

© Copyright Richard Scheib 1999-2022

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