The Shuttered Room

Outstanding and seemingly ignored horror film, based on a Lovecraft story. The creepy, intense POV shots (with accompanying weird background noises) predate Black Christmas by some five years. Also, "Shuttered Room" was almost certainly a big influence on "Straw Dogs"- a bizarre link to draw I know, but trust me, it is there. Although the film does have flaws (such as Reed's dodgy US accent, and the unintentionally hilarious karate-chopping husband), the compelling direction more than compensates. A real quality genre film.

weird hearing Sutherland's voice coming out of Zebulon odd casting two Brits in film as well as location Australian, Americans double for Young how'd she get bra back on? cool ending with aunt and 'thing' "The Shuttered Room" is a very good horror movie. It's consistently creepy and offered a few surprises.

The film is difficult to place. While some of the cast are Americans and the countryside looks a bit American (especially with the American car which is prominently seen throughout the film). But, the film also features some Brits and at least on Aussie--giving the film a rather strange pedigree. But, this is a minor concern.

"The Shuttered Room" begins in the past. Some weird creature is living in a house and has escaped--and Dad rushes off to return it to its attic lair. Now the film jumps ahead about 20 years. The young child in the beginning of the film has grown (now played by Carol Lynley) and has returned to this weird village after having been removed and raised in New York soon after the initial scene. She has now returned with her husband (Gig Young) to reclaim her home--one that apparently has sat gathering dust during this intervening period. But the family matriarch (Flora Robson) warns them not to enter the home...it's cursed! While you know that they will eventually move in to the home, in the meantime another evil force is afoot. The lady's cousin (Oliver Reed) is a bit of a sociopath and he and his friends seem bent on rape and/or murder--all for 'kicks'! So who should the couple fear--the cousin, the 'thing that is in the attic' or both?

Overall, the film does a great job of setting a creepy mood and providing lots of terror for the couple. The acting isn't bad, though the idea of Young playing an action hero seemed a bit silly--as did the bad use of a double in his fight scenes (it's so obviously NOT him). Howver, the good easily outweighs the bad and it's well worth your time if you like creepy movies...and I do.

By the way, early in the film it was rather disconcerting to hear Zebulon speak, as it clearly was NOT his voice but Donald Sutherland's! I am not sure why they had him dub this man, but he is listed in the IMDb credits for this.

Carol Lynley as a woman who returns to her childhood home on the British isles with her American husband in tow and is perplexed by the mysterious presence residing there. Screen-treatment of an H.P. Lovecraft story has too many sordid supporting characters, the heavy threat of rape, and an idiotic action sequence wherein hubby Gig Young takes down a few of the local toughs. Still, it offers a few suspenseful scenes, interesting parallels to the later "Straw Dogs", and a fine cast. Oliver Reed, sweaty and indecipherable as the most obnoxious of the villains, must've been heartsick at playing this same role again and again (he's offered no new opportunity to stretch), but Lynley and fatherly Young have a nice rapport. Overall, it's rather a lackluster thriller jazzed up with artistic cinematography and an overripe score, but the location shooting on the Norfolk Coast is good and the wrap-up satisfying. **1/2 from ****

The Shuttered Room is an entertaining, sporadically suspenseful mystery-chiller which gets great mileage from a clutch of good performances. Out the four leading characters, only Carol Lynley seems misplaced. Gig Young, Flora Robson and Oliver Reed are all spot-on, especially Reed who simply excels as a lecherous thug. The story is atmospheric and unsettling, though the solution at the end resorts to an overused "monster-in-the-closet" explanation, which actually slightly damages the whole movie.

Young plays a middle-aged smoothie who has recently wed a much younger blonde bombshell (Lynley). She is amiable enough, but has frequent panic attacks related to something or someone that scared the hell out of her when she was still a baby. Young persuades her to return to the small, isolated community of her birthplace and to re-unite with the old family, hoping that by confronting her past she will be able to find out what caused her trauma and get over it. However, it turns out to be something rather threatening....

The film is nicely paced, with few tedious moments. It is well photographed too. The film has a dated look, with fashion, music and dialogue very much of its time (though, of course, that would be hard to avoid). However, for those who prefer their horror movies with subtle chills and a spooky build-up (none of that modern Hollywood gore and special effects-wizardry) this is a worthwhile experience.

As stated by several other folks here, I watched this movie with my twin sister when I was about 10 years old on the local station horror movie hour and was terrified by it. I remember it even now, how eerie the whole atmosphere of the movie was and the feeling of Carol Lynley's character being watched by some unseen but evil being, it really scared me as a child and I would love to watch it now to see if it would have the same impact. Probably not, but if you ever get the chance to see this film, I would encourage you to do so. Kind of weird too, Gig Young, who played the husband, went on to murder his wife in real life and then kill himself. Pretty weird.