UNREAL ESTATE

She might as well make herself at home, because she'll never be leaving.

A few years ago we shared a collection of movie posters painted by the great Hungarian artist Karoly Grosz. Among them was a promo for The Old Dark House. We’ve brought the poster back today because we just watched the film. Based on a J.B Priestly novel, the movie opens during a stormy night somewhere in Wales as five people, among them Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart, and Lilian Bond, are stranded in the rain and entreat the occupants of a creepy old manse for shelter. The occupants are the Femm family and their facially scarred butler, played by Boris Karloff. Any sane person would do a one-eighty after getting a gander at him, but this is a horror movie, so they waltz happily through the front door.

As the night wears on and the house is buffeted by wind and rain, the guests begin to realize the Femms are not just a little strange, but seriously disturbed, and that there are more people in the house than at first appearance. It’s Karloff the horror specialist—of course—who eventually looses chaos upon the stranded travelers. He’s quite a creation, scowling and grumbling his way craggily through the film, and his performance is one of several reasons it’s interesting to watch an old chiller like this. When we say chiller, be forewarned that the movie isn’t really scary, but it’s atmospheric and worth a watch for fans of horror to see the building blocks of the genre. The Old Dark House premiered today in 1932.

Wales, Hungary, The Old Dark House, Boris Karloff, Melvin Douglas, Gloria Stuart, Charles Laughton, Lilian Bond, Lillian Bond, J.B. Priestly, Karoly Grosz, poster art, cinema, horror, movie review

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

January 16

1942—Carole Lombard Dies in Plane Crash

American actress Carole Lombard, who was the highest paid star in Hollywood during the late 1930s, dies in the crash of TWA Flight 3, on which she was flying from Las Vegas to Los Angeles after headlining a war bond rally in support of America’s military efforts. She was thirty-three years old.

January 15

1919—Luxemburg and Liebknecht Are Killed

Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps. Freikorps was a term applied to various paramilitary organizations that sprang up around Germany as soldiers returned in defeat from World War I. Members of these groups would later become prominent members of the SS.

January 14

1967—Summer of Love Begins

The Human Be-In takes place in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park with between 20,000 to 30,000 people in attendance, their purpose being to promote their ideals of personal empowerment, cultural and political decentralization, communal living, ecological preservation, and higher consciousness. The event is considered the beginning of the famed counterculture Summer of Love.

January 13

1968—Cash Performs at Folsom Prison

Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison in California, where he records a live album that includes a version of his 1955 hit “Folsom Prison Blues.” Cash had always been interested in performing at a prison, but was unable to until personnel changes at his record company brought in people who were amenable to the idea. The Folsom album was Cash’s biggest commercial success for years, reaching number 1 on the country music charts.

January 13

2004—Harold Shipman Found Hanged

British serial killer Harold Shipman is found dead in his prison cell, after hanging himself with a bedsheet. Shipman, a former doctor who preyed on his patients, was one of the most prolific serial killers in history, with two-hundred and eighteen murders positively attributed to him, and another two-hundred of which he is suspected.

DON GIOVANNI

Giovanni Benvenuti was one of Italy's most prolific paperback cover artists. His unique style is on display in multiple collections within our website.

WALKING AFTER MIDNIGHT