Customer Reviews

Red House [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I first saw this film on the late show back in the 50's when I was a mere child. It scared the pants off me then, and pretty much does the same now. This is what I call staying power. Too bad more people aren't aware of this film. The sad thing about the presentation of this film (I have both the VHS & DVD) is that the sound recording needs definite restorative work. This would really be disturbing if the film itself wasn't so compelling. The production values as well as the production team are all A-List, from the fine direction of Delmer Daves to the outstanding mood-setting score of Max Steiner to the casting of pro stars like Edward G. Robinson & Judith Anderson sharing the screen with teen magazine heart-throbs Rory Calhoun and Julie London. Lon McCallister is fine in what is really the lead role, and a very fine performance by young Allene Roberts (whatever happened to her!). The DVD is pretty much of the bargain-bin variety, though there are a couple of little extras on it...most notably explaining that Robinson's career came to a standstill after this film because of the Hollywood blacklist. The suspense factor is among the highest I can recall (EVER!); the script is literate and clever; characters are well-defined; and the creepy mood is consistant. See this film and tell all your friends; you will NOT be disappointed.

An underrated psychological mood piece directed with great skill by Delmer Daves, it is best watched in the dark with no interruptions so that its full power can be realised. I did not go down in the woods for quite a while after watching this film and gained an added appreciation for the work of Edward G. Robinson and that great actor Judith Anderson (see also Hitchcock's REBECCA). From one of the greatest periods of Hollywood movie making.

Edward G. Robinson is fantastic as the man with the dark secret, in this excellent thriller! I bought it expecting to be either bored or amused. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised! The Red House is actually pretty creepy. Robinson plays a farmer who is not what he appears to be. There's a red house in the woods where something terrible happened many years earlier. His daughter (Arlene Roberts), and his sister (the magnificent Judith "Mrs. Danvers" Anderson) live with him. A boy comes to help out on the farm and the web of mystery slowly unravels. I highly recommend this for anyone who loves thrillers, chillers, or just plain good movies...

I delayed ordering this movie for a year because of all the comments about the bad soundtrack. Don't let those concerns deprive you of seeing this classic. I can't speak for the VHS versions, but the sound on the DVD version was not nearly as bad as I was led to expect. Hi-fi it is definitely not. Yes, it's extremely tinny-sounding -- at times sounding like an old 78 rpm disc. And briefly, once or twice, there was rattle like a bad speaker cone at a drive-in theater. The tinniness was very noticeable for the first five minutes. But after that, you quickly adjust to it and soon forget about the sound quality. What had frightened me away from buying it was not the tinniness but rather the fear that the sound would be mushy or fuzzy -- something you'd never adjust to. But there was none of that. The sound was crisp enough that I was able to follow every word of dialog with no trouble at all. Yes, a fully restored sound track would make it even better. But until then, relax and enjoy!

Delmer Daves' movie about a family mystery, filmed outside, is as compelling as it was fifty years ago, with stunning performances by Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson, a superb music score by Miklos Rozsa and thoroughly rising tension. Unfortunately, all existing tapes have been awful experiences because of the rotten sound and picture quality. The new DVD has Dolby Digital, so the dialogues fare somewhat better, while still aren't acceptable. A complete restoration appears to be very expensive, so one now has to stay with this best version. Finally, the movie counts.

This is a terrific movie no one has ever heard of. Like the book it is based on, The Red House was popular in its day but since 1947 it has fallen into obscurity. Dark and noirish, this melodrama sports an Oscar winning score and game performances, including huge, nearly operatic turns by the brilliant Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson as a tortured farmer with a horrible secret and his longsuffering sister. Featuring Lon McCallister - also popular in his day but widely forgotton - Julie London and Rory Calhoun.

This movie is very much of its time but if you appreciate old movies, over the top performances and classic melodrama, you'll want to check it out.

Ah, the golden age of Hollywood, when films actually relied on strong stories to build suspense and keep audiences riveted to the screen. I had never really heard of The Red House (1947) until recently, but this is one heck of a good film. It sometimes gets associated with film noir, but I would describe it as more of a psychological thriller. It features a strong cast, including the likes of Edward G. Robinson, Judith Anderson, and Rory Calhoun (as well as a wonderful young actress named Allene Roberts), a wonderful musical score by Miklos Rozsa, and a plot that methodically works itself out to great effect.

Young Meg (Roberts) lives on a quiet country farm with Pete Morgan (Robinson) and his sister Ellen (Anderson), having been taken in by the Morgans as a two-year-old following the death of her parents. Everything is calm and peaceful until Meg talks Pete into hiring some extra help in the form of young Nath Storm (Lon McCallister). When Nath says he is taking a shortcut through the woods, Pete goes off half-cocked and starts ranting about the woods being haunted, screams in the night, and the evils of a red house. Nath soon comes running back to the farm, but he is determined to figure out the secret of those woods. Meg also wants to know why she has always been forbidden to enter the woods, and the two of them sneak off several times to go exploring. Pete becomes more unsettled as the movie progresses, as dark memories begin to bubble to the surface of his mind, and the viewer is eventually forced to question his motives. There is plenty of drama and suspense (and a touch of young love) before the dark secrets of The Red House are revealed, all of which contribute to the film's remarkably dark and somewhat eerie atmosphere and a surprisingly effective conclusion. To my mind, Robinson tends to overplay his part at times, but Allene Roberts comes into her own and plays opposite his character extremely well.

Some viewers found some of the scenes in the dark woods to be scary, but modern audiences will almost surely find nothing the least bit scary about this film. Suspense, though, still abides here in droves, helped along quite effectively by an orchestral score featuring the theremin (which was used predominantly in early science fiction films). Younger viewers might sometimes grow a little impatient with the slow and steady nature of the plot, but it is the strength of that plot that makes The Red House a somewhat overlooked classic.

Great ghost story,(with a spooky haunted forest and house), a slick mystery, a grim film noir, a psychological study of guilt, together with fine acting and the great Edward G Robinson. Perfect for those who enjoy the Val Lewton, or The Haunting (the original by Robert Wise) style of horror. Unfortunatly all the DVD versions of the Red House - including Alfa Video are in terrible shape - Blurry, dark, noisey, tears, rips, speckled and grainy. The poor condition of these DVDs distracts from the film. Too bad. Id give the film 5 stars but subtract minus 2 for the poor video and sound.

This review refers to the Alpha Video (Gotham) DVD.

Overall Quality of DVD: ** /**** Sound: *1/2 /**** Plot: *** /**** Acting: ***/**** Cinematography: ***/**** Direction: **1/2 /****

This is not a great film but very eerie, strange, nearly on par with something like "Carnival Of Souls" or "Incubus".

Rory Calhoun and Lon McCallister are solid in their roles. Arlene Roberts is good but does not come close to the sexiness of Julie London. Edward G. Robinson creates the mystery and suspense while his sister (in the film), Judith Anderson (Mrs. Danvers in "REBECCA") enhances and intensifies Robinson's esoteric character.

Granted, the film transfer is quite soft and glowing and the sound hisses throughout, however, it is still quite interesting to view and, due to the digital transfer process, the sound is stabilized.

Until/if a restoration is ever available this is the best we'll see but, in my opinion, is worth the low asking price - if you are expecting the quality of a Criterion Collection DVD you will be disappointed.

Pete Morgan (Edward G. Robinson) owns a farm by the edge of the woods. His sister, Ellen Morgan (Judith Anderson), keeps house for him. Years ago they adopted a baby when the parents ran off. Now Meg Morgan (Allene Roberts) is a teenager in high school, and she persuades Pete to hire a friend, Nath (Lon McCallister), to help with the chores since Pete is having a hard time keeping up with things. He's getting older and has a wooden leg. Pete reluctantly agrees, but warns Nath that under no circumstances is he to go through the woods to get to the farm. Pete has even hired a hand with a rifle to scare people off. Naturally, Nath goes through the woods and, with Meg, determines to find out the mystery behind a ruined, overgrown red house they find there.

This is a little gem of a movie. It starts in sunlight, moves into tangled paths and deep shadows and eventually works it way back out. The mystery is tragic and believeable, and the movie moves toward the conclusion with a real feeling of growing unease. It features some tense and scary moments in the woods, and the red house itself is eery and forbidding.

Robinson gives, I think, another of his first class performances. Pete is a man with a terrible secret, which his sister shares. He loves Meg and wants to protect her, but he also is increasingly unpredictable and unstable. Judith Anderson reins in her tendency to be stagy, and in this role gives a performance of strength and compassion. Allene Roberts never developed much of a career but she reminds me a little of Teresa Wright. Lon McCallister was a boyish and very boy-next-door type. Together they're believeable as two teens who begin to have serious feelings for each other. And its interesting to see Rory Calhoun as the sleazy young guy with the rifle and Julie London as McCallister's girlfriend who moves briskly over to Calhoun.

One of the strengths of the movie is Miklos Rozsa's score. He emphasizes the moods efficiently and with great effect. The theme he came up with for Meg Morgan is one of the most innocently romantic I've ever heard.

The Red House is a movie that might be described as a mystery drama with a little psycho horror thrown in (with the horror being what people do and how they pay for it). It's a good movie that, unfortunately, fell into public domain. The DVD is watchable and the movie will probably never get a restoration. Too bad, but it's still worth having.