As a fan of mid-century horror, it’s impossible to undersell the delight of witnessing Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and John Carradine share the screen. In fact, that’s the only reason to watch House of the Long Shadows, Cannon Films’ low-rent cult adaptation of Seven Keys to Baldpate (the inspiration for many haunted-house murder-mysteries over the years). It’s a good reason, though.

Kenneth Magee (Desi Arnaz, Jr.) is a hotshot writer who bets his skeptical publisher he can write a book as captivating as Wuthering Heights in just 24 hours. If Magee can do it, the publisher will pay $20,000, so Magee decides to find somewhere he can focus. He settles on Bllyddpaetwr, an old manor house in the Welsh countryside. It’s wet, creaky and, most importantly, abandoned — perfect for a modern gothic masterpiece.

Soon, it’s clear the “abandoned” label was a bit misleading. Magee is thrust into a bizarre family squabble full of murder, intrigue and mystery all while begging his cohabitants to let him write his book. Unfortunately, there’s more than money on the line.

If you’ve seen The Old Dark House or any other movie inspired by the original Baldpate play, you know the general contours of this story. We’re slowly introduced to Lord Grisbane (Carradine) and his sons — Lionel (Price), Corrigan (Lee) and Sebastian (Cushing) — through the first act before the next two descend into convoluted madness.

Unfortunately, most of the film doesn’t live up to the legends who inhabit it. It slows to a crawl whenever Arnaz Jr. is on screen without his more impressive co-stars. Director Pete Walker, who has become appreciated in recent years as a maestro of low-budget horror, does his best to capture the atmosphere of the creaky country-house setting. But beyond the environment, he largely fails to make the film feel haunted or tense.

It’s … you know, it’s a film that feels perfectly fine on balance. Seeing the icons share a screen is worth the price and provides House of the Long Shadows a place in horror history regardless of its relative quality. 

Special Features

  • Audio commentary by author Derek Pykett and director Pete Walker
  • Audio commentary by film historian David Del Valle
  • House of the Long Shadows … Revisited: A feature-length documentary with cast and crew
  • Pete Walker’s House of Horror: An interview with director Pete Walker
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Optional English subtitles