Verdict
Summary
From the Cannon Group, House of the Long Shadows puts the last of the Hammer-era horror icons together in one movie, and while it’s not a great movie, it’s still worth watching as a novelty for putting these guys in the same frame at the same time.
Plot:
A writer hoping to write an entire novel in 24 hours, makes camp at a spooky mansion in Wales that is supposed to be vacant.
Review:
While on a book tour in the UK, American bestselling author Kenneth Magee (Desi Arnaz Jr.) takes a bet: He will try to write an entire book in a 24-hour period while making camp in a spooky mansion in Wales that is supposed to be vacant. When he gets there, of course, it’s inhabited: The old caretaker (played by John Carradine) and his sister live there and warn him to leave. Magee is determined to stay, and then during the night before he has a chance to begin writing, a visitor shows up, a man named Grisbane (Peter Cushing), who swears his car broke down nearby. Then, another Grisbane (Vincent Price) shows up, with a declaration – “I have returned!” What’s going on here? Magee senses that a story is brewing. Later, a sinister man named Corrigan (Christopher Lee) enters the mansion, with a mission to kill, and the plot thickens when the caretaker and his sister are found dead. Magee finds himself smack in the middle of a ghost story plot that goes back many years, with secrets, revelations, and a hook that Magee realizes would make a great novel … if only he can write it before he’s killed!
From the Cannon Group, House of the Long Shadows puts the last of the Hammer-era horror icons together in one movie, and while it’s not a great movie, it’s still worth watching as a novelty for putting these guys in the same frame at the same time. The movie itself is slow and not very scary or even very spooky, but if you’re in the mood for a cozy afternoon kind of flick that might give you the feels for your favorite horror stars, then this movie might do the trick. Director Pete Walker didn’t seem too invested in the plot or the development of the characters, and so the movie has a limp delivery, but like me you might be willing to forgive its shortcomings.
Kino Lorber has just reissued House of the Long Shadows on Blu-ray, and it has an extra bonus feature the previous release didn’t have: “House of the Long Shadows … Revisited: A documentary with the cast and crew. Other features include two audio commentaries, an interview with Walker, and the trailer.
