“You dare not even guess the strange story of The Red House,” this promo poster tells us about Edward G. Robinson’s 1947 psychological suspense drama, but we dared, and we didn’t have any trouble guessing correctly. What you get here is a mystery with a suggestion of the supernatural—always a draw for us. Some sites call this a horror movie. We’re okay with that too. Horror, psychological suspense, and mystery walk hand in hand—in this case through the creepy night. Working from a screenplay adapted from George Agnew Chamberlain’s 1945 novel, Robinson plays a man living in idyllic simplicity on a farm with his sister and adopted daughter. He hires a helper, a decision that goes awry when the new help develops an interest in the nearby cursed woods, in which there’s supposedly a haunted red house, disembodied screaming voices (or maybe just the wind), and other dangers sane people would avoid.
But this new farmhand is filled with the arrogance of youth, isn’t superstitious, and resolves to solve the mystery, a decision that threatens to tear Robinson’s makeshift family apart and unearth terrors from the past. Edward the G. isn’t at his very best working with what is a tricky script, but he gets useful support from young co-stars Lon McCallister, Rory Calhoun, Allene Roberts, and Julie London. Roberts in particular has a crucial role, and in her first film, and aged only nineteen, she manages to keep her head above water—barely. While The Red House isn’t top notch, it’s enjoyable enough, and if you appreciate vintage creepfests it might give you a chill or two. So what’s in the woods? We can’t tell you, but you can be sure there’s something—and it ain’t good. The Red House premiered today in 1947.
