Rating: **
Review Date: 4/15/24
Cast: Desi Arnaz Jr., Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Vincent Price,
John Carradine
Disappointingly dumb. A loud and obnoxious American writer named Kenneth Magee (Desi Arnaz Jr.) takes a bet to write a "Wuthering Heights" style novel in 24 hours by spending the night in an abandoned Welsh manor. But it's not as abandoned as he was led to believe, as an odd collection of characters show up to keep Kenneth distracted from reaching his goal. And then the murders begin...
I knew I was in trouble when I saw it was a Golan-Globus production, and it shows in both the production values and the cringe-worthy dialog. Reportedly, the film ran out of money after only three weeks, which may explain why it's so unremarkable. The film's main, and admittedly only draw is seeing veteran horror icons Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, and John Carradine onscreen together. Unfortunately, this epic gathering doesn't bear any fruit or memorable moments, and the actors look bored and disconnected. The acting is flat and Peter Cushing's bizarre Elmer Fudd accent is downright embarrassing. The film is neither serious or campy, and falls somewhere in the awkward area in between. On top of that, every time things start to get interesting, the tone deaf script has Magee jumping in with his brash American sensibilities to spoil the mood and try to find a "logical explanation" for everything. Is the "loud American" ever an endearing character?
I was hoping for a Hammer style "old dark house" homage, but it's more like a misguided parody. The numerous twists and turns have you questioning everything until the final infuriating reveal, which completely invalidates the film and casts all logic aside. This level of irresponsibility and contempt for the audience is seldom seen and makes you wonder what the filmmakers were thinking and/or what drugs were involved. I can only recommend it as a curiosity and a relic of a bygone era.