StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

pointyfilippa The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

calvinnme ..but different in many respects than the 1935 Gene Raymond version . Notable here is the presence of Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and John Carradine as some of the 'key holders'..but the main character is...Desi Arnaz Jr. (?) Actually, I was doubtful about Jr's talents, but he does pretty well sharing scenes with these giants of horror. If you don't know the story: Arnaz is an author, who takes a bet that he can write a gothic novel if he can have a weekend away from everyone. He is given a key to Baldpate, and assured he will be alone..but of course, he isn't. Along with the four mentioned, a stern matronly Shela Keith is there when he arrives, and a couple seeking shelter from the storm (of course..it's a dark and stormy night..) Julie Peasgood and Richard Todd also show up. Unlike the other filmed version, there turns out to be 'relationship' between Price, Lee, Cushing, Carradine and Keith that adds another layer to the story. The spooky turns bloody, when particularly horrific murders begin to occur, and the bodies begin to stack up, leaving Arnaz to wonder if there's another keyholder that's out for revenge. The ending is completely different than the 35 version..in fact, it's similar to the original play written by George M Cohan and I preferred it. No gangsters, no inept police..an interesting twist. Although I thought the film got off to a very slow start, it does get interesting, and worthwhile just to see some great old 'masters of horror' together..even if it's tongue-in-cheek.According to the story on the "Electric Boogaloo" documentary about Cannon films, Menahem Golan went in saying "Get me those Monster guys! We need to get them all together for one of those Monster pictures!"He was surprised when they got Price, Lee, and Cushing together, and associates later suspected Golan didn't realize that Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre were dead.

fedor8 You don't cast a bland-looking nepotistic bore in the midst of a mostly heavyweight cast, regardless of whether you're making a Disney comedy or tortureporn. Desi Arnaz? He looks like he should be in "The Brady Bunch" or part of the Osmonds, singing some happy-flappy tune.The premise is just too stupid for words: a writer, Desi - doubtlessly a buffoonish writer (perhaps a parody of Stephen King?) - bets his publisher he can write a NOVEL on par with "Wuthering Heights" in 24 hours. Now, I'm no mathematics genius, but he'd have to type at lightning speed without no 1, eating or no 2 just to write ANYTHING the size of a novel (for example "all work and no play makes Desi a dull clown"), let alone a finished manuscript that would compare to a classic, overrated or not. This fact alone should have given Desi's boss enough confidence to win the bet without resorting to sabotage; I mean, who wouldn't win that bet? It'd be like someone betting you they can eat the Eiffel Tower in a week. Would you sabotage them?Dumber still, his boss concocts that plan - spontaneously(!) - how to screw over Desi, in what turns out to be more elaborate than an Oliver Stone conspiracy or that absurd Fincher flick, "The Game". Just how his boss managed to get the whole thing organized in a few hours, in what took on the shape of a major theatrical play almost, that's naturally never explained. Nor is it clear how openly CHEATING in a bet wins the bet. But then again, his boss does lose the bet in the prologue, after the whole charade: huh?The setting is nice, there's plenty of corny thunder every 5 minutes, and even the female cast is mostly not unattractive (a gift not to be taken for granted in a UK film), but the whole thing just wasn't funny (giving Desi all the shoddy one-liners just makes the dialog even worse), and the twist was quite predictable - simply because this is billed as a comedy. Kinda like putting 2 and 2 together.No, just because it's a "comedy" doesn't justify the sheer absurdity. Nor is it acceptable that the director LIES to the audience; for example, the scene in which the sexy brunette pours acid on herself. She was clearly playing for the camera, not for Desi, his intended "victim". That's rubbish writing, dumb logic. Characters aren't supposed to know they're being watched by an audience - otherwise they might start doubting their own existence, might start feeling a little like Keanu in "The Matrix" (IF that film had been intelligently written).Desi even hits on the blonde in the last scene, despite finding out she's married and meeting her husband - and the floozy actually hints she's up for an affair! Perhaps this dumb film was written by a swinger with a poor sense of humour.

BA_Harrison An 'old dark house'-style horror/thriller, House Of The Long Shadows takes place in a seemingly deserted Welsh manor where American novelist Kenneth Magee (Desi Arnaz Jr.) attempts to write a Gothic novel in just twenty four hours after making a bet with his publisher Sam (Richard Todd). Shortly after settling in, a series of strange visitors arrive at the house to disturb his work...Many Pete Walker fans seem to consider this, his final film, to be a something of a disappointment, one that sees the director toning down his usual level of gruesome violence and wanton sleaze whilst failing to capitalize on the combined talent of four of the horror genre's greatest actors: Christopher Lee, Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and John Carradine.I may be a little biased (this was one of the first horrors that I ever saw at the cinema) but I think the film deserves a bit more respect: the basic plot might be well-worn—yet another retelling of The Seven Keys of Baldpate—but it is a lot of fun, with Walker achieving a suitably creepy ambiance, some effective scares and one or two delightfully grisly moments. And as far as the old-timers' performances are concerned, they are perfectly nuanced for such a tongue-in-cheek chiller, with Cushing in particular being vewy funny!I can even easily forgive the film's more preposterous moments, since most of them occur as part of Midnight Mansion, the Gothic novel hurriedly penned by novelist Magee over the course of the night. If I had to write an entire book in such a short space of time it would probably stretch plausibility a bit as well.

gavin6942 An author named Kenneth McGee (Desi Arnaz, Jr.) whose career is on the decline wagers his publisher $20,000 that he can write a novel comparable to "Wuthering Heights" in 24 hours. To do so, he is holed up at a manor in Wales.Can you beat this cast? Vincent Price as Lionel Grisbane, John Carradine as Lord Grisbane, Peter Cushing as Sebastian Rand and Christopher Lee as Corrigan. This is the final film in which both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing appear.The lead actor, Desi Arnaz, is pretty awful. He delivers lines that seem like they should be humorous with a straight face, which makes no sense -- is this humor delivered poorly, or serious lines botched before they even reach the man's tongue? I am not sure which, but he talks in such a tone and pace that I cannot believe any real person would talk in such a way.The copy I watched was of a very poor quality, or at best of "modest" quality. It was full screen, seems to be a VHS transfer, and had Swedish subtitles ingrained into it. That is not how I prefer to enjoy a film.The story is bizarre and sloppy, in some ways reminiscent of William Castle's "Old Dark House". Only not as entertaining. Mike Mayo says it is a variation of the Edgar Wallace story, the "tightest" of those he knows of. I find nothing tight about this film, and am unclear how much is Edgar Wallace and how much is writer Michael Armstrong. Armstrong freely admits to adapting the tale from the novel "Seven Keys to Baldpate" by Earl Derr Biggers and the dramatization by George M. Cohan.This all comes from director Pete Walker, whomever that is. This was his final film. The gore only comes in during the final twenty minutes, and it is not much. Would I recommend this movie? Maybe if it was cleaned up, just to see the cast. The film itself is nothing special.