The Shuttered Room is a 1967 British horror feature film directed by David Greene and starring Gig Young and Carol Lynley (Beware! The Blob) as a couple who move into a house with dark secrets. It is based on the short story of the same name by August Derleth and H.P. Lovecraft. Basil Kirchin contributed the excellent soundtrack score.
Plot:
On a small island off the U.S. coast, the Whateley’s live in an old mill where a mysterious bloody being creates an atmosphere of horror. After her parents get killed by lightning, young Susannah is sent to New York by her aunt Agatha, who wants her to avoid the family curse.
Years later, Susannah, now married, persuades her husband to spend a holiday in the abandoned mill. Once on the island, Susannah and Mike soon find themselves exposed to the hostility of a gang of thugs led by Ethan (Oliver Reed), Susannah’s brutal cousin…
Reviews:
“The Shuttered Room is very enjoyable, right up until the derivative end. It has a gorgeous heroine, a cool-as-ice hero, a terrifying baddie in Oliver Reed, and enough plot twists and turns to keep you guessing up to (almost) the end. It is also extremely brutal – with […] vicious attacks and some great set-pieces.” British Horror Films
“The Shuttered Room on the other hand is just boring bad, but it’s just as incomprehensible.” DVD Verdict
“Every now and then, the film reveals an odd production choice (a moment of Indian tabla drums in the soundtrack, a meaningless visual fixation on an eagle) which seems to be in place to suggest that The Shuttered Room is a rich, deep, thoughtful film. In reality, there’s no subtlety here—just a simple story stretched as far as it can go.” Pop Matters
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Cast and characters:
Gig Young … Mike Kelton
Carol Lynley … Susannah Whately Kelton / Sarah
Oliver Reed … Ethan
Flora Robson … Aunt Agatha
Judith Arthy … Emma
Rick Jones … Luther Whately
Ann Bell … Mary Whately
William Devlin … Zebulon Whately
Charles Lloyd-Pack … Barge Master
Bernard Kay … Tait
Donald Sutherland … Zebulon (voice)
Celia Hewitt … Aunt Sarah
Robert Cawdron … Luther Whately
Murray Evans … Gang Member
Clifford Diggins … Gang Member
Peter Porteous … Gang Member
Anita Anderson … Susannah as a Child
