The Strange Door

The Strange Door

The theatrical release poster
Directed by Joseph Pevney
Produced by Ted Richmond
Written by Robert Louis Stevenson (short story)
Jerry Sackheim
Starring Charles Laughton
Boris Karloff
Sally Forrest
Cinematography Irving Glassberg
Edited by Edward Curtiss
Distributed by Universal-International
Release dates
  • December 8, 1951 (1951-12-08)
Running time
 81 min.
Country United States
Language English

The Strange Door (1951) is a period drama cross horror film, released by Universal-International. The film starred Charles Laughton, Boris Karloff, Sally Forrest and Richard Stapley. Karloff's role is actually a support one but his name carried significant weight in the billing. It was directed by Joseph Pevney and was based on the short story "The Sire de Maletroit's Door" by Robert Louis Stevenson. Its alternative title was Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Door.[1]

Plot

Alain, the Sire de Maletroit (Laughton), plots revenge on his younger brother Edmund (Cavanagh) for stealing Alain's childhood sweetheart, now deceased. Alain imprisons Edmund in a dungeon for 20 years. He then convinces Edmund's grown daughter Blanche (Forrest) that her father is dead. As Blanche's mother (Alain's lost love) died in childbirth, Maletroit intends to further antagonize Blanche by reducing her life to a miserable hell. As the film begins, he tricks a high-born drunken cad, Denis de Beaulieu (Richard Stapley), to pass through the sole, exterior door of the Maletroit chateau, which has no latch handle on the inside, making him a captive, with the intent of forcing the delicate Blanche into marriage with him. However, Denis has unanticipated redemptive qualities, and he and Blanche fall in love. Their attempt to escape is initially foiled by Alain, who seals Edmund, Blanche and Denis in a stone deathtrap designed to crush the lot of them. Maletroit's disloyal manservant Voltan (Karloff) comes to their aid and dies effecting the escape of Denis, Blanche and her father from a dungeon cell, the walls of which are crushing in on them under pressure of river water churned against them by a water wheel on the chateau. Alain dies when he falls into the river and is caught up in the water wheel, his fat body jamming it to a halt.


Cast

Home Video Release

This film, along with Night Key, Tower of London, The Climax and The Black Castle, was released on DVD in 2006 by Universal Studios as part of The Boris Karloff Collection.

References

  1. ↑ Stephen Jacobs, Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster, Tomohawk Press 2011 p 353-354
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