Red House

 

 

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Ah, the golden age of Hollywood, when films actually relied on strong stories to build suspense and keep audiences riveted to the screen. I had never really heard of The Red House (1947) until recently, but this is one heck of a good film. It sometimes gets associated with film noir, but I would describe it as more of a psychological thriller. It features a strong cast, including the likes of Edward G. Robinson, Judith Anderson, and Rory Calhoun (as well as a wonderful young actress named Allene Roberts), a wonderful musical score by Miklos Rozsa, and a plot that methodically works itself out to great effect.

Young Meg (Roberts) lives on a quiet country farm with Pete Morgan (Robinson) and his sister Ellen (Anderson), having been taken in by the Morgans as a two-year-old following the death of her parents. Everything is calm and peaceful until Meg talks Pete into hiring some extra help in the form of young Nath Storm (Lon McCallister). When Nath says he is taking a shortcut through the woods, Pete goes off half-cocked and starts ranting about the woods being haunted, screams in the night, and the evils of a red house. Nath soon comes running back to the farm, but he is determined to figure out the secret of those woods. Meg also wants to know why she has always been forbidden to enter the woods, and the two of them sneak off several times to go exploring. Pete becomes more unsettled as the movie progresses, as dark memories begin to bubble to the surface of his mind, and the viewer is eventually forced to question his motives. There is plenty of drama and suspense (and a touch of young love) before the dark secrets of The Red House are revealed, all of which contribute to the film's remarkably dark and somewhat eerie atmosphere and a surprisingly effective conclusion. To my mind, Robinson tends to overplay his part at times, but Allene Roberts comes into her own and plays opposite his character extremely well.

Some viewers found some of the scenes in the dark woods to be scary, but modern audiences will almost surely find nothing the least bit scary about this film. Suspense, though, still abides here in droves, helped along quite effectively by an orchestral score featuring the theremin (which was used predominantly in early science fiction films). Younger viewers might sometimes grow a little impatient with the slow and steady nature of the plot, but it is the strength of that plot that makes The Red House a somewhat overlooked classic.

Edward G. Robinson is fantastic as the man with the dark secret, in this excellent thriller! I bought it expecting to be either bored or amused. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised! The Red House is actually pretty creepy. Robinson plays a farmer who is not what he appears to be. There's a red house in the woods where something terrible happened many years earlier. His daughter (Arlene Roberts), and his sister (the magnificent Judith "Mrs. Danvers" Anderson) live with him. A boy comes to help out on the farm and the web of mystery slowly unravels. I highly recommend this for anyone who loves thrillers, chillers, or just plain good movies...

I delayed ordering this movie for a year because of all the comments about the bad soundtrack. Don't let those concerns deprive you of seeing this classic. I can't speak for the VHS versions, but the sound on the DVD version was not nearly as bad as I was led to expect. Hi-fi it is definitely not. Yes, it's extremely tinny-sounding -- at times sounding like an old 78 rpm disc. And briefly, once or twice, there was rattle like a bad speaker cone at a drive-in theater. The tinniness was very noticeable for the first five minutes. But after that, you quickly adjust to it and soon forget about the sound quality. What had frightened me away from buying it was not the tinniness but rather the fear that the sound would be mushy or fuzzy -- something you'd never adjust to. But there was none of that. The sound was crisp enough that I was able to follow every word of dialog with no trouble at all. Yes, a fully restored sound track would make it even better. But until then, relax and enjoy!

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4.0 out of 5 stars Should be restored but...
This review refers to the Alpha Video (Gotham) DVD.

Overall Quality of DVD: ** /**** Sound: *1/2 /**** Plot: *** /**** Acting: ***/**** Cinematography: ***/**** Direction:... Read more

Published on May 12 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Offbeat Daves Film, Horrible Print for DVD
As with many of Delmer Daves' films, The Red House shows originality, flair, and an intense weaving of landscape, theme, and character (rare among American directors working in... Read more

Published on Jan 6 2004 by camcas5

2.0 out of 5 stars Great schlock...not great film
I must disagree with the other reviewers. This is NOT a great film. It is a great schlocky B movie. Wonderfully bizarre-- yes. Read more

Published on Aug 19 2002 by Michael Lipscomb

5.0 out of 5 stars A Neglected Masterpiece!
I first saw this film on the late show back in the 50's when I was a mere child. It scared the pants off me then, and pretty much does the same now. Read more

Published on Jun 16 2001 by R. Gawlitta

5.0 out of 5 stars See this with the lights off
An underrated psychological mood piece directed with great skill by Delmer Daves, it is best watched in the dark with no interruptions so that its full power can be realised. Read more

Published on April 28 2000 by Ian Muldoon

4.0 out of 5 stars STRANGE, MOODY THRILLER
Robinson plays a crippled farmer who, after his daughter brings home a suitor, attempts to keep everyone from a mysterious red house located on his property. Read more

Published on Jan 19 2000 by scotsladdie

5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping drama still waits for adequate restoration
Delmer Daves' movie about a family mystery, filmed outside, is as compelling as it was fifty years ago, with stunning performances by Edward G. Read more

Published on Jan 27 1999

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