That was an excellent one.

Sick Product of a Sick System

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

"Have a Potato". The grandfather of the haunted, scary, creep house movies, and comedy horror. The iconic movie with the blandest name of all. The Old Dark House. No chance of not knowing what it's about.There is a reason why this movie is still great after almost 90 years. It is that good.

This was quite an experience, I wasn't expecting anything less from the great James Whale. The Old Dark House (1932) its probably among my favorite horror films from Universal, it has a great cast playing interesting likable characters, and a great director who makes everything work.The horror element in this film its quite effective, its eerie and creepy, but even if it didn't have those horror elements to it the movie would have been worth watching, is just fun to listen to these wonderful characters talk, the writing is quite clever and develops the story in such a way that it keeps you interested and engrossed. The performances, the mystery, the suspense, the horror, the thrills, an eerie mood and a great set are what makes this film great.I definitely recommend it.

The delivery of some of the characters is somewhat stilted possibly owing to the sound recording equipment requiring slow and distinct dialogue or that some of the actors were still transitioning to sound film acting. Nevertheless, once you are drawn into it, the film is entertaining on a number of levels. It is a weird combination of horror parody, social commentary and character study. The scene in which the old crone played you Eva Moore taunts the lovely Gloria Stuart about the fleeting nature of youth and youthful beauty is remarkable. "Fine stuff but it will rot!" I bet some of us are reminded of these words when we watch Stuart in her final film role as the old lady in "Titanic". I love how Ernest Thesiger invests the most benign phrases with a sense of foreboding and menace. He makes "Have a potato" and even "Good morning" sound serenely sinister. Lillian Bond is a joy. As a counterpoint to Stuart's classical beauty and nervousness, Bond's cheerful, cheeky, earthy and sensible working class girl shines.

"The Old Dark House" is one of those films that remains a classic with each viewing.The cast,direction, script and photography are exceptional.There are many amusing moments along the way and in typical James Whale fashion.With actors like Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton, Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart, Ernest Thesiger and others, you couldn't ask for a more heavyweight cast. Boris Karloff said he was a bit disappointed that his role as the mute Butler, Morgan, didn't stretch him as an actor. I can understand why but it wouldn't be a "Universal" film without him.Strictly speaking, this isn't a Haunted House movie but I understand James Whale was influenced by silent films like "The Cat and the Canary" and "The Last Warning" (which is lost).Gloria Stuart stated years later how James Whale was the consummate professional who oversaw every aspect of the production. It certainly shows in the final results.