House of the Long Shadows

This attempt at a sophisticated meta-film descends into the realm of television variety shows featuring has-been stars and tiresome declamatory babble. As such, it is generally a low-quality project from the head of Cannon Films, who wanted to have in his scrapbook a group photo with the legends of British horror whom, as an avid movie fan, he once admired at the cinema. Like many of the projects that Golan produced as last-chance vehicles for past-their-prime stars and variations on older hits, this project is attractive thanks to its concept (the famous faces of classic British horror movies together for the first time in one film; plus it was directed by the trash legend Walker, whom Golan dragged out of retirement), but due to Cannon’s typical eagerness, it suffers from a quickly slapped-together screenplay and zero dramaturgy. So, whereas the source work functions well on the stage, especially if the actors interact well with each other and with the audience, the film adaptation merely jumps between meritorious greats who, in their bombastic theatricality, never work together as an ensemble, but only as competing individuals. The supposedly sophisticated point of the narrative turns out to be rather a cruel reflection of the whole project or of the fact that it is indeed possible to cobble together a narrative in a single day, but despite the swaggering self-regard, it is not a story that could in any way move its audience. (08/15/2015)

The British film House of Long Shadows is a great homage to old Hammer films, but also to horror comedies. The film doesn't take itself seriously, which is evident from the fact that the actors overact a bit and the camera focuses on their faces and expressions. This simply par of them, this is what made them famous, as well as their voices, at least in the case of Lee and Price. Yes, this group of gentlemen is simply great, even when they are older. (01/17/2019)