The Old Dark House (1963 film)

The Old Dark House
The Old Dark House
	US film poster
Directed by	William Castle
Screenplay by	Robert Dillon
Based on	Benighted; 1928 novel; by J. B. Priestley
Produced by	William Castle; Anthony Hinds;
Starring	Tom Poston; Robert Morley; Janette Scott; Joyce Grenfell;
Cinematography	Arthur Grant
Edited by	James Needs
Music by	Benjamin Frankel
Production; companies	William Castle Productions; Hammer Film Productions;
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	30 October 1963 (United States); 16 September 1966 (United Kingdom);
Running time	86 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom; United States;
Language	English

The Old Dark House is a 1963 comedy horror film directed by William Castle. A remake of Universal's 1932 film of the same name directed by James Whale, the film is based on the 1927 novel by J. B. Priestley originally published under the name Benighted, and the new screenplay was written by Robert Dillon.^[1] The opening title art was drawn by legendary macabre cartoonist Charles Addams,^[2] whose signature is painted by a hairy hand.

The film is set in Dartmoor, Devon. A London salesman plans to visit his roommate and his roommate's family at an old mansion, but arrives shortly after the roommate's death. He is invited to spend the night with the family, but the family members are then killed one by one. They were all heirs to the family estate, and one family member wants to be the sole surviving heir. They resort to familicide to get their inheritance.

^ "The Old Dark House". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
^ Maxford, Howard (2019). Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-4766-7007-2.

[1] "The Old Dark House". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 June 2023.

[2] Maxford, Howard (2019). Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-4766-7007-2.

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