House of the Long Shadows (1983) - Archive

______________________

I have to admit that seeing Cushing, Lee, Price, and Carradine in the same room together gave me thrills and joy. What saddens me is that their great monumental teaming is in this turgid exercise which is, at times, a daunting task just to sit through. While the film has some wonderful lighting and the manor for which Arnaz, Jr stays is ominously photographed. Sadly, it's the ebb and flow of the film itself that disappoints. The film is a mixed bag for me. While I pleasured every moment the great stars spent on screen, they were stuck within a story that was a trial to watch. What hurts even more is that bore of a character played by Arnaz, Jr. who ought to thank his lucky stars mama was Lucille Ball for he did nothing for the film whatsoever except prove how bland and unlikable that prick of an author could be. I wished that Lee would spring from the shadows and bite a plug out of his neck so I could continue to watch the other stars for whom I really desire to see. The film is supposedly about an author who bets his publisher he can write a horror novel in 24 hours. His author has a manor for Arnaz, Jr to stay in and so this is the place for all the "action" to take place. Arnaz, Jr. finds that the manor is filling up with mysterious characters who represent the Grisbane family(Vincent Price as Lionel, Peter Cushing as Sebastian, John Carradine as Lord, and Sheila Keith as Victoria). This family harbors a dark secret which is held within a sealed room in the manor. Christopher Lee portrays Corrigan, someone who buys property and is to possibly purchase the Grisbane estate, but there's more to him than meets the eye. Julie Peasgood portrays Mary Norton, Arnaz, Jr.'s publisher's assistant, and possible love interest. The film follows Arnaz, Jr as he tries to uncover the mysteries that lurk behind the Grisbane family for deaths start to occur thanks to the "curse" in the house. The film has some genuine moments of Gothic atmosphere, but unfortunately too many twists at the end, not to mention not enough screen time for the legendary horror kings make everything such a waste. Arnaz, Jr. just doesn't have any charisma and I just kept feeling like there should be more to this film than ever materializes.______________________

 |April 16, 2006|
====≠==========