The Red House (1947)

In his only venture behind the cameras (he was executive producer), charismatic Edward G. Robinson has done himself proud in the grisly, hauntingly atmospheric The Red House (1947). Surrounding himself with an almost equally talented cast of players led by Judith Anderson and Allene Roberts, Robinson has not spared his cash on creative personnel as well. The movie features one of Miklos Rozsa's most haunting music scores (a pity it doesn't come across with the utmost clarity in the otherwise very good Grapevine disc) ably joined by Bert Glennon's noirish camerawork and the nightmarish sets designed by McClure Capps. Lovely Julie London is a stand-out in the support cast in this utterly fascinating film noir, while Lon McCallister plays the lead hero with his usual most welcome bravura.

You get to find out. You can probably guess what the secret of the Red House is but it doesn't matter as the film gently carries you through the story with some spookiness, tension and drama thrown in and used to good effect. It's a simple setting and a simple story about the effect of a house on nutcase Edward G (Pete) and the curse of the woods.After student Lon McCallister (Nath) takes his first walk through the woods at night-time, the scary woods become the most important cast member. No way would I be returning. We get a mystery/thriller as teenagers Lon and Allene Roberts (Meg) explore the woods in search of the Red House. There are many secrets and dangers that lurk in this forest setting.Julie London turns up in a role as sexually aware student Tibby before her singing career took off in real life. All the cast do fine although sometimes the dialogue delivery from Lon is slightly off – he has moments where he is a little too rude to Edward G and out of his depth when challenging farmhand Rory Calhoun. He's got guts but I don't think so!

A righteous teen is determined to uncover a dark secret in the forbidden woods, but the guardian of his gal warns him off for fear of the deadly consequences.Spooky coming-of-age melodrama, where all the characters have something at stake. After a cheesy intro voice-over we're pitched into a likable community in backwoods America, where romance blossoms amongst high school students who straddle the divide between tradition and ambition. The parts are well scripted and played, and I got the feel this set the template for generations of teen movies, including high school horror from the '70s onward. Also, interesting pervy vibe between old men and young women - nothing explicit until the end, but the menace is there throughout, with a touch of the later Night Of The Hunter.However it's not a horror, and the end restores the balance of justice, with all them cops, y'all - I guess this was the kind of stuff that David Lynch grew up watching and inspired him to infect the ideal world with a dose of malevolence.The version I watched was a bit dark, but the camera is well worked with some gorgeous close ups. This is the first time I've seen Julie London, and her scene with her boyfriend cheek-to-cheek is particularly good, as she channels Lauren Bacall. Also Robinson's face in the climax, when the illumination of his face switches, is good story telling.My big complaint is the music - over dramatic and inserted into every orifice of the run time, spoiling some dialogue that needs full emphasis on the actors. It becomes tolerable after the halfway mark, but just because they commissioned a full score doesn't mean they had to squeeze every drop out of it.Overall - good melodrama with full characters and a decent plot.

This is a movie that works by misdirection. The viewer starts watching and thinks that Pete (Edward G. Robinson) and Ellen (Judith Anderson) might be man and wife, living with their daughter Meg (Allene Roberts). As the film unfolds, it soon becomes apparent that Meg is the 'adopted' daughter of Pete and Ellen--so that the viewer would expect that Meg considers Pete and Ellen as her parents--man and wife. Only as the film unfolds do we learn that Pete and Ellen are brother and sister, that Meg is the child of Ellen; that the father of Meg was killed (?) by Pete, out of twisted jealous love for his sister. So this is not 'madness' but a real murder mystery. Pete's unnatural desire for his niece--seems more of an attempt to silence exposure of a long distant murder.There are lose ends to the movie, but that just might be a way to let the psychological drama unfold. But they still are lose ends. For example, what exactly is Teller's (Rory Calhoun) relationship to Pete? Why does Pete need a $750 government bond? Why has Pete chosen Teller to be armed guardian of the land the Red House stands on? Does Teller plan on actually killing Meg with his gun--making him something of a sociopath? And did Pete kill Ellen's lover out of twisted love for his sister? Or was it revenge for getting his sister pregnant before marriage--not so terribly uncommon in many rural locations? It's a film that works because the presentation on the screen misdirects the viewer, and the viewer wants explanation for what is unfolding and why it is unfolding the way it is. And as the film unfolds, explanations are forthcoming.The acting, as to be expected is excellent, though oftentimes Pete's performance (Edgar G. Robinson) seems over the top; but then, this is a psycho drama with some dark passages very much like Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher"--to which it has certain analogies. Pete drowning in quick sand at the end and Poe's house falling into the meer. It's an excellent film, worth the viewing.