Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

ThiefHott Too much of everything

AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

mark.waltz Not since the barn-storming days of Tod Slaughter (and his series of gruesome, cheap shockers) has there ever been such a creepy villain as Charles Laughton's Sire de Maletroit, a madman keeping his brother (Alan Napier) prisoner and arranging a sham marriage for his niece. This lacks the mustache twirling that made Slaughter's villains such a hoot and was part of Laughton's previous similar role in "Jamaica Inn". Toss in Boris Karloff as a servant, playing both ends against the middle, and you have a plethora of mediocre attempts at chills with a finale reminiscent of 1935's "The Raven".Laughton's "Snidely Whiplash" villain (who laughs like Mutley) seems to have no monetary motivation, just jealousy over the fact that he was in love with the woman his brother married. Karloff's character must be a cat, because he gets shot and stabbed, yet manages to make it through the climax. Then, there's the perennial hero and heroine (Michael Pate and Sally Forrest), thrust together, even though she's originally in love with somebody who is never seen, and he goes from a drunken playboy to noble savior in a flash. At least Universal's famous Gothic sets got some good use, if not their stock writers's imagination.

zetes Vastly underrated, at least compared to the IMDb rating (5.9). I mean, come on, a movie starring Charles Laughton and Boris Karloff? That alone makes it pretty awesome. And even aside from them, the movie's just darn good. It's a Gothic horror about a French nobleman (Laughton) who captures a rogue (Richard Wyler) and tries to force him to marry his niece (Sally Forrest) to spite her father (Paul Cavanagh), whom Laughton has imprisoned in his dungeon for the past 20 years. Karloff plays Cavanagh's guard. The only real problem, besides its having an utterly forgettable title, is the hero, Wyler, who is not that good an actor. Fortunately, it's the kind of film where all eyes are on the awesome supporting cast, so it's easy to forget about him. Joseph Pevney is probably best known for directing 14 Star Trek episodes, including "The Trouble with Tribbles".

MartinHafer The film begins with Sire Alain de Maletroit (Charles Laughton) meeting some of his employees at a pub (circa 1750 give or take a week). The agents indicate that they have found a real scoundrel--a horrible man who is a liar and debaucher. Why, you don't know, but they then set up this scoundrel to get into a fight an seemingly kill a man. Then, as he runs away, he's taken by carriage to Laughton's manor. It seems that the scoundrel has been recruited for a special job--to marry Laughton's niece in order to make her miserable! Why would Laughton's character do this? Well, it seems that 20 years earlier, a woman was supposed to marry him but instead ran off with his brother. Shortly afterwords, she died in childbirth (with the niece) and Laughton has plotted all those years to make his brother (who he keeps locked in the dungeon) and the niece miserable. Nice guy, huh?! Boris Karloff is also in the film as one of Laughton's servants. However, he hates his master and wants to help the lady escape her mad Uncle's clutches. And, in a strange twist, the scoundrel turns out to be not such a bad guy after all, and he also vows to rescue the lady. Part of this is because he just saw the man he supposedly killed in the pub--and he knows that Laughton cannot be trusted. Part of this is because he's fallen for the niece.For Laughton, this sort of film suits him. Never was he accused of being a subtle actor and here he could allow himself to be bombastic and cruel and eat up the scenery--he was a good choice for the role. Karloff, on the other hand, had a role that wasn't particularly complex or interesting--many actors could have handled this role just as well.Overall, it's a cool little horror film--in particular, because the horror is man-made---usually the scariest kind! After all, Frankenstein or Dracula lack the cruelty that Laughton's character has. Despite this, the film isn't overly vivid--and this is a good thing. If the movie were done these days, the subtlety would all be gone and gore would replace it. Here, good writing and acting (minor concerns, I know) are allowed to shine--making for a very satisfying tale of revenge and evil.

bsmith5552 "The Strange Door" was based on the Robert Louis Stevenson story "The Sire de Maldroit's Door". The film appears to have been an effort by Universal to revive its profitable Gothic horror genre of the 30s and 40s. Unfortunately, the film has the look of a "B" movie and Director Josph Pevney was unable to rein in star Charles Laughton's hammy performance.Alan de Maledroit (Laughton) lures unsuspecting tavern rogue Denis de Beaulieu (Richard Stapely) to his castle after framing for a murder. de Beaulieu enters the castle through the strange door of the title, a door that seems to open and close on its own without benefit of a handle or lock.de Maledroit plans to force the young man to marry his young niece Blanche (Sally Forrest) and by selecting the most reprehensible character he could find, hopes to avenge her mother's rejection of him years earlier. Blanche's mother had died in child birth after marrying her father Edward, Alan's brother. Edward (Paul Cavanaugh) unbeknown st to Blanche, has been imprisoned in Alan's dungeon these many years. Only Edward's loyal servant Voltan (Boris Karloff) remains loyal to him.As luck would have it, the young couple do actually fall in love. The marriage takes place but Denis feigns drunkenly in order to escape the castle with the aid of an old acquaintance Count Grasson (Alan Napier). However, Grasson is murdered and the newly weds are imprisoned in the same dungeon as Edward. Only Voltan stands between the mad de Maletroit and freedom. Can they escape?Had Laughton's performance been controlled by a stronger director, this could have been a much better film. Karloff as usual, is better than his material in a largely supporting role. I can picture him in the de Maledroit role and bringing much more depth and horror to the role. The set pieces evoke memories of Universal's earlier horror successes. The strange door of the title has little to do with the plot other than to trap de Beaulieu in the castle.Others in the cast include William Cottrell as Corbeau, de Maledroit's assistant and Michael Pate as Talon another of de Maledroit's thugs. Laughton and Karloff had first appeared together in "The Old Dark House (1932). Followed by "The Black Castle" (1952) before the studio abandoned Gothic horror for the giant insect cycle.