(1951)
A 17th-century nobleman (I know, yawn) tricks a local ruffian into passing through the only door of his Maletroit chateau (I know, yawn) in order to force the handsome lad into marrying his beautiful niece. Years earlier the nobleman’s brother married the one woman the nobleman was truly in love with and she passed away during childbirth. By forcing this thug to marry his niece, who he believes would make her life miserable, he would have his revenge (?) Meanwhile the nobleman’s brother has been locked in the chateau’s dungeon for the past 20 years unbeknownst to all but the nobleman and Boris Karloff, who plays the brother’s keeper. The plan backfires badly when the ruffian and niece fall in love after much bickering (think Moonlighting) and decide to escape the house with the aid of the sympathetic Boris Karloff. None of this sits well with the nobleman, of course, and he concocts a clever deathtrap for the young lovers.
Publicity shots always look so stupid
Sigh. I just can’t get into movies that involve “noblemen”, “chateaus”, “barons” or people named ‘Alain, Sire de Maletroit’. There’s just something about these words and the like that make my eyes glaze over. Perhaps this is why my brain shuts down if I’m forced to watch a film set in the Victorian age (e.g., almost anything starring Keira Knightley, I exaggerate).
I bet JPX would hate this movie
In The Strange Door the nobleman’s “revenge” is more convoluted than a Bond villain’s scheme and just as pointless. Wouldn’t locking his brother in a dungeon for 20 years and telling everyone that he’s dead be sufficient revenge? There’s a pretty good climax involving a waterwheel mechanism and slowly closing walls but it would be misleading to call this “horror” despite being included as part of a Boris Karloff “horror” collection.
I assure you that JPX would hate this film
