All Rise...

Appellate Judge Mac McEntire's shadow is short and paunchy.

The Charge

"Don't interrupt me while I'm soliloquizing."

The Case

House of the Long Shadows boasts bringing together four of the greats—Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and John Carradine—in a single movie. Dezi Arnaz Jr. is here as well, in case you also consider him a "great." It's a fantastic cast headlining an old-timey "old dark house" thriller. Now the question is what the filmmakers can do with these heavyweights.

Writer Kenneth McGee (Arnaz Jr, Automan) takes a bet from his publisher, a challenge to write a novel in one night. To do this, he travels to a remote mansion in Wales for some quiet writing. Only he's not the only one staying there. The house is maintained by Lord Grisbane (Carradine, Stagecoach), who is joined this night by his sons Lionel (Price, Witchfinder General) and Sebastian (Cushing, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope). Also lurking about is Corrigan (Lee, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers), who wants to buy the mansion from Grisbane. Throughout the night, a sinister family secret will be revealed and lives will be on the line.

House of the Long Shadows looks and feels like one of those old-school Hammer horror films of late 1960s/early '70s, except that it came out in 1983. In that context, the movie comes off as downright old-fashioned when held up against the fantasy blockbusters of the Spielberg era. You know how English movies and TV shows have that reputation being nothing but stuffy old guys sitting around a drawing room talking the whole time? That's pretty much what House of the Long Shadows is. This is a talky movie, and some horror fans will check their watches at times, wondering when something will finally happen. The scares here are more about atmosphere and an overall sense of dread rather than chases and slashings.

This big, empty house gets more and more populated throughout the movie, and various side characters get their own subplots. It's mostly plot-heavy, but diehard fans won't mind because it's this cast delivering the plot-heavy dialogue. An incredibly hokey final plot twist will likely cause a lot of fan hand-wringing. When the movie nears its end, we finally get some surprisingly good and appropriately gross gore effects. Whether you stick with the slow-paced story about this family and its secrets that long or not is up to you.

House of the Long Shadows (Blu-ray) has been cleaned up nicely in 1.85:1/1080p HD, rich with vivid detail and vibrant colors, along with clean and clear DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio. The extras are highlighted by two great commentaries—one from director Pete Walker (House of Whipcord) and the second with film historian David Del Valle. Both are terrific listens. There's also an interview featurette with Walker and a trailer gallery.

House of the Long Shadows is not for everyone. It'll be too dry and stodgy for most viewers, but folks looking for a purely retro horror experience should check it out.

The Verdict

Not shadowy guilty.

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