House of the Long Shadows (1983)

Director:

Pete Walker

Writers:

Michael Armstrong (writer)
Earl Derr Biggers (novel)

Release Date:

April 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Room for every nightmare... A nightmare in every room.

Plot:

An American writer goes to a remote Welsh manor on a $20,000 bet: can he write a classic novel like "Wuthering Heights" in twenty-four hours...

Plot Keywords:

House | Mansion | Murder | Rampage | Reunion

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Vincent Price	...	Lionel Grisbane
Christopher Lee	...	Corrigan
Peter Cushing	...	Sebastian Grisbane
Desi Arnaz Jr.	...	Kenneth Magee
John Carradine	...	Lord Grisbane
Sheila Keith	...	Victoria
Julie Peasgood	...	Mary Norton
Richard Todd	...	Sam Allyson
Louise English	...	Diana
Richard Hunter	...	Andrew
Norman Rossington	...	Stationmaster

Also Known As:

House of Long Shadows
A Mansão da Meia-Noite (Brazil) [pt]
Casa de las sombras del pasado, La (Spain) [es]
Casa de las sombras, La (Venezuela) [es]
Casa delle ombre lunghe, La (Italy) [it]
Dom dlugich cieni (Poland) [pl]
Haus der langen Schatten, Das (West Germany) [de]
Kauhujen talo (Finland) [fi]
Kuca dugih senki (Serbia) (TV title) [sr]
Manoir de la peur, Le (France) (TV title) [fr]

Runtime:

USA:100 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | UK:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Hampshire, England, UK

Company:

London-Cannon Films

Trivia:

This is the final film in which both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing appear.

Quotes:

Stationmaster: It is a cursed place.
Kenneth Magee: I'm sure it's drenched in evil.
Stationmaster: A cursed place.
Kenneth Magee: Filled with things best not spoken of. Yes, I saw the movie. You do know how to get there?

Movie Connections:

References North by Northwest (1959)

The Force of Destiny

This is the only film I can think of that has all four horror greats in the same film at the same time and in the same scenes. Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and John Carradine are the big four, and their presence alone makes seeing this film a must. I don't think any other film had three of these men in the same film, same time, and same scenes(Scream and Scream Again has Lee, Cushing, and Price, but Cushing does not share screen time with either Lee or Price). The men are all still great to see and brought a flood of nostalgia to me as they made their entrances into the film. The film, however, is weak, and there really is no denying that. I like the film because of the four boogeymen, but cannot say in good faith that it is a good film. It is not. The story concerns an author having a bet with his publisher to stay in a creepy place and produce a book in one evening for twenty thousand dollars. It is a very worn plot, and to make matters worse, the scriptwriter butchers his way through the script trying to squeeze out anything that might have been thoughtful and original. The male lead is none other that that master thespian Desi Arnaz Jr. I know hearing his name makes you tingle with anticipation, but this man has no clue how to perform. Plainly put, he is awful, and painful to watch as he delivers hackneyed dialogue with a smug manner. He certainly canot hold his own with the reverent cast or even female character actress Shelia Keith who really shines in her small role. Some of the dialogue is funny, some serious, but there are only four reasons to watch this film: Price, Cushing, Lee, and Carradine. They put in this film what little life this film has. Of the four, watch for Vincent Price playing ever the ham! He is superb.