Shuttered Room & It

The Shuttered Room
One of my favorite Saturday afternoon horror movies from when I was a kid. "The Shuttered Room" is a great piece of 60's gothic horror, complete with a family curse, an old millhouse, and even some bad Karate fights. Oliver Reed stands out as the crazed juvenile who lusts after Carol Lynley. He has an inner rage that can only be tamed by spooky Aunt Agatha played with great passion by Flora Roberts (The Innocents). One thing that I didn't remember was the great jazzy score by Basil Kirchin. Maybe now that this film has been released on DVD, he will get the recognition he deserves as this is one of the best film scores I've heard.
Only disappointment is the lack of extras on the DVD. Maybe WB will release an updated version of this in the near future.

A moody little horror film from the sixties
This is one of those classic British horrors from my childhood that used to scare the pants off me. And now it's finally here on DVD. The story revolves around Susannah (Carol Lynley), who lived as a child on an isolated New England island with her parents in a grain mill. Something else lived there too, in a locked room... something angry and vicious. When Susannah's parents die, she is sent to be raised in New York. Once she is 21, she and her new and much older husband (Gig Young) revisit the island to reclaim the old mill. On the island they encounter a mysterious, superstitious Aunt, a gang of threatening thugs and a murderous "something" still living in the old mill.

This DVD has an ok picture quality, but there is some dirt in the print and the colors seem kind of dull. It doesn't look like Warner took the time to clean up the print. I have to say I was pretty nervous when the 7 Arts logo came up and it looked like the image was taken from a jumpy film...

The People Have Spoken-!
Lots of fun reading the reviews of "Shuttered Room" and "It"--and they're pretty dead-on. This is a great disc to watch on a dark, rainy afternoon. While it hasn't landed anywhere near the top of anyone's Thriller Movie list, "Shuttered Room" manages to keep up the tension level going throughout. The jazz background score, 'over-30' actors (excepting the luscious Ms Lynley),and attention to the building of suspense will seem odd to many of today's younger viewers who equate "thriller movie" with "bloodsoaked slaughter of teenagers and other horny people." "Shuttered Room" has its moments of erotica and violence, but it gets the message across without slamming you over the head with an ax. Gig Young is interestingly cast--a talented, Oscar-winning actor who no doubt lended some credibility to the proceedings. Carol Lynley's moody, unusual beauty set her apart from the laquered, cookie-cutter glamor girls of the Sixties and she's convincing as a troubled spirit. But it's hard to tell...

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