13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Little Known Horror Thrill is really Good., November 23, 2004
First of all it's written by one of the great horror writers Wilkie Collins and based on his story "Woman in White". If you've never seen a Slaughter film, Lugosi had nothing on him when it came to ham, over-the-top acting and scenery chewing. He is a madman who kills percival Glyde and then impersonates his victim to take over the estate he had just inherited. he then goes on to terrorize all those around him in a seething role of madness and says things like "I`ll feed you`re entrails to the pigs!"
This is a very atmospheric movie and the overall mood is quite chilling and a bit stifling. Slaughter is really fantastic in his portrayal of the madman. It's a fine, if rather unknown British supporting cast that lends itself to making this movie so good.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tod Slaughter is the perfect villain, January 26, 2003
This review is from: Crimes at the Dark House [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Though largely forgotten over the course of time, Tod Slaughter was one of cinema's greatest "bad guy" actors, playing the role of the villain to the very hilt. Crimes at the Dark House is a showcase of his talents-the "up to no good" expression, the gleefully evil hand-rubbing, the overt stroking of the mustache, and, best of all, the laugh. Only Vincent Price rivals Slaughter in the deviously evil cackle department. Slaughter enjoyed being the villain, cackling his way from one dastardly deed to another. Maybe he hams it up a little bit, but that was the style of the times. Nobody did it better, and I hope that Slaughter's work will continue to reemerge and be appreciated by today's audiences.
Crimes at the Dark House opens with a murder. In the gold territories of Australia, Tod Slaughter's character sneaks into a tent and kills its occupant by driving a tent peg through his head. Going through the man's papers, he discovers that the dead man is Sir Henry Glyde and has just been called home upon the death of his wealthy father. Slaughter's character (we never learn his real name) goes to London and passes himself off as Glyde. To his dismay, he finds out that he has "inherited" a debt rather than a fortune, but his "father" has chosen a wealthy bride for his "son." (His marriage to the unwilling lass doesn't stop him from giving the chambermaid new "duties," of course.) Things are complicated by the fact that the real Sir Glyde married and fathered a child before leaving for Australia two decades earlier, and the fruit of that union has escaped an institution with twenty years of hatred for Glyde built up inside her. Naturally, Glyde's plans begin to unravel, and a string of murders only makes things worse. Even the reliable old "switcheroo" ruse blows up in his face.
I liked the plot of this movie, despite its dependence in part on two individuals looking very much like each other. The story, based on Wilkie Collins' 1860 novel The Woman in White, was good enough to be adapted a second time in 1948 as The Woman in White. Even if the story didn't work at all, though, Tod Slaughter's performance would make this film fun to watch; he is the prototypical villain, and it is a pleasure to watch him work.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tod Slaughter On A Rampage!..., July 14, 2006
If you've never seen Tod Slaughter in action, I highly recommend this movie (along w/ the glorious SWEENEY TODD of course!). Slaughter truly lives up to his name, as he drives a stake through a sleeping victim's cranium in the opening scene! He quickly assumes the dead man's identity after learning that he's just inherited an estate! Once he arrives at his new home, our "hero" sets out to live the life of ease and debauchery w/ one of the cute chambermaids. Alas, his life gets complicated, forcing him to kill nearly everyone in sight! Watch as he gleefully strangles, then dumps the bodies of those who dare get in his way! Listen, as he chuckles, chortles, and cackles his way through his horrible crimes! Yes, Tod Slaughter is fun to watch. Buy immediately...
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