Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £4.99 a month
The Old Dark House
A group of weary travellers arrive at a spooky mansion with a madman on the loose, in this classic horror-comedy from James Whale (Bride of Frankenstein)
Comedy 1932 72 mins
Director: James Whale
Overview
During a huge storm, five travellers find themselves stranded in the Welsh mountains and are drawn towards a deserted house run by a sinister brother and sister and their mute butler. Forced to stay overnight, our heroes discover that the old, dark house contains a number of secrets, and they must keep their wits about them if they’re going to survive.
Considered lost for many years, and now digitally restored, this is the ultimate haunted-house film: a hugely influential picture that uses macabre humour and things that go bump in the night to tell its dark story. You can't call yourself a horror fan until you've seen The Old Dark House...
mild violence, scary scenes, sex referencesAccessibility
Related
Comedy
The Wedding Party The Wedding Party
Comedy 1969 92 mins Director: Brian De Palma
Robert De Niro stars in the early, indie comedy from Brian De Palma, co-directed by Wilford Leach and Cynthia Munroe.
Greetings Greetings
Comedy 1968 87 mins Director: Brian De Palma
Robert De Niro stars in Brian De Palma's anti-war satire about three friends trying to avoid the Vietnam War draft.
Ghost World Ghost World
Comedy 2001 107 mins Director: Terry Zwigoff
Scarlett Johansson and Thora Birch star as a pair of social outcasts struggling to make sense of the world around them, in this sublime love story based on the work of underground artist Daniel Clowes.
What We Do in the Shadows What We Do in the Shadows
Comedy 2014 86 mins Director: Taika Waititi
An achingly funny mockumentary about New Zealand’s hitherto unknown vampire (and werewolf) communities, from the creators of Flight of the Conchords.
The Singing Detective The Singing Detective
Comedy 2003 105 mins Director: Keith Gordon
Robert Downey Jr. is at his caustic best in this acerbic adaptation of Dennis Potter's classic serial about a writer tormented by dark visions from his own novels.
Romance & Cigarettes Romance & Cigarettes
Comedy 2005 106 mins Director: John Turturro
James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet star in this tough and untamed musical from cult actor John Turturro.
Kermode introduces
Lodger: A Story of the London Fog Lodger: A Story of the London Fog
Crime 1926 91 mins Silent Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Ivor Novello plays a strange lodger who may be behind a number of Jack the Ripper-style killings in Alfred Hitchcock’s silent thriller.
Unrelated Unrelated
Drama 2007 96 mins Director: Joanna Hogg
On a Tuscan break a fortysomething woman finds herself drawn to the company of a group of partying teens, including a young Tom Hiddleston (in one of his earliest roles).
For Those in Peril For Those in Peril
Drama 2013 92 mins Director: Paul Wright
An intense and mysterious drama about the lone survivor of a strange fishing accident who’s outcast and persecuted by his fellow villagers.
Distant Voices, Still Lives Distant Voices, Still Lives
Biopic 1988 84 mins Director: Terence Davies
Terence Davies' debut feature is a remarkable evocation of working-class family life in the 40s and 50s and a visionary exploration of memory.
Within Our Gates Within Our Gates
Drama 1919 74 mins Silent Director: Oscar Micheaux
Oscar Micheaux’s startling silent classic – the earliest surviving feature from an African-American director – presents a fascinating black counterpoint to Griffith’s Birth of a Nation.
My Brother the Devil My Brother the Devil
Drama 2012 107 mins Director: Sally El Hosaini
Sally El Hosaini's feature debut tells of the love and disenchantment of two British-Egyptian brothers. Gangs, drugs and sexuality come between them
New
The Way He Looks The Way He Looks
Drama 2014 92 mins Director: Daniel Ribeiro
A blind student’s relationship with his best friend is tested when he falls for the new boy in school, in Daniel Ribeiro’s beautifully realised romance.
Chico & Rita Chico & Rita
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2010 94 mins Director: Fernando Trueba
An evocative animated love story set in the jazz nightclubs of Havana and New York.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Fantasy 2010 83 mins Director: Jalmari Helander
Part children's adventure, part macabre seasonal shocker, this darkly humorous concoction defies categorisation.
Sebastiane Sebastiane
Historical drama 1976 85 mins Director: Paul Humfress
A distinctly bold and sensual reclaiming of gay history, Jarman here tells the sexually intense story of the 4th-century martyr.
The Wedding Party The Wedding Party
Comedy 1969 92 mins Director: Brian De Palma
Robert De Niro stars in the early, indie comedy from Brian De Palma, co-directed by Wilford Leach and Cynthia Munroe.
Greetings Greetings
Comedy 1968 87 mins Director: Brian De Palma
Robert De Niro stars in Brian De Palma's anti-war satire about three friends trying to avoid the Vietnam War draft.