The Old Dark House

Today we are exploring a classic horror masterpiece from 1932: “The Old Dark House.” Universal became synonymous with horror in the 1930s, thanks to visionaries like Uncle Carl Laemmle and his son Junior. It was a time when horror legends were born, and some of the greatest movies were created - movies that shaped the genre forever. The Old Dark House being one of them.

Now, I can’t be sure that my family set out to make a distinctly queer movie in 1932, but one thing is certain the more that one learns about the Old Dark House, and that is that my family did make a very queer movie in 1932. The Old Dark House is chock full of Queer Coding - when a TV or movie uses subtext to indicate that a character is queer without really saying it. So let’s discuss.

The Old Dark House is based on the 1927 novel Benighted by J.B. Priestley, about post-World War I disillusionment. In the movie, five travelers seeking shelter from a terrible storm, find themselves in for a terrible night at, well…an old dark house. The five weary travelers find themselves face to face with the creepy Femm family, and a night of thrills and horror begins.

Director James Whale was very particular about his vision on The Old Dark House.

Let’s start behind the scenes because for 1932, there were quite a few queer people working on this movie. We can start with openly gay director James Whale, whose name you may recognize from a few other little films like Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, and Show Boat. A hallmark of James Whale’s work was his ability to blend horror with comedy. So even though The Old Dark House is set in a creepy, gothic mansion, and it has those stark, trademark attributes of German Expressionism, it also has a healthy amount of witty banter, and quirky characters, and camp! James Whale was very particular about his vision on this movie and came to set each day with copious notes as to the sets, the dialogue, and the action. So, even though, of course, his work is up for interpretation, there are no accidents when it comes to what ends up on screen.

Next, we have Charles Laughton whose Hollywood career started with The Old Dark House. Though he was married to Elsa Lanchester - who just a few years later would go on to play The Bride of Frankenstein. Charles Laughton was, in fact, gay. In the film, he plays Bill Porterhouse, who seeks shelter from the storm with a female companion named Gladys Perkins. As the film progresses, Gladys falls for another male character and confides to him that her relationship with Bill is just about money and nothing physical.

Funny enough, she says that he keeps her around because he wants people to think he’s “ever so gay” when in fact he’s lonely. Given the era, I’m sure she means happy, but I don’t know - might she have meant gay? When Gladys tells Bill she wants to be with the other man, he’s not jealous or upset at all. While on the surface, many interpret it to be just a statement on class difference in the film, I think all of these things together open the door to the idea that maybe Bill is gay.

Charles Laughton and Lillian Bond in An Old Dark House, 1932.

Ernest Thesiger is another actor whose Hollywood career was launched with The Old Dark House, and he was an out bisexual man. In the film, Ernest Thesiger plays the role of Horace Femm, and his character presents quite effeminately. I’ve even heard speculation that Horace Femm might represent James Whale himself. Ernest has some fantastic comedic moments, whether he’s throwing flowers in the fire or telling guests to “Have a potato,” and according to actress Gloria Stuart’s recollection - those comedic moments were all James Whale’s influence.

Now as far as I know, Elspeth Dudgeon was not gay, but here’s a twist. Elspeth Dudgeon plays the 102 year old patriarch of the family, and in the film she was credited as John Dudgeon. She has a beard, but makes no attempt to lower her voice or make anything else more masculine about her performance. It’s a real gender-bending role, and I can think of a few queer interpretations for it, but no matter what, this was a really rare choice for the time.

Then there’s Brember Wills, another member of the family who presents rather effeminately, and who during an attack at the end, in the middle of choking a character, goes in for what practically looks like a neck kiss. Now I guess probably he’s supposed to be biting his neck because this character is supposed to be truly crazy - but when I’m examining this movie for queer-codedness, it is so hard not to interpret that as queer.

Boris Karloff can communicate so much without ever saying a word.

Moving on, we have Boris Karloff, who you’ll probably recognize as the Monster from Frankenstein. Or maybe you won’t because, I swear, Karloff looks like a different man in every single movie, and The Old Dark House is no exception. He’s got a scraggly beard and scars on his face. And he doesn’t say any lines in this movie - but as we know with Karloff, he can still communicate so much without ever saying a word. Boris Karloff we learn, is their mute butler Morgan, who has a proclivity for getting violent when he’s drunk. At the end of the movie, when Saul Femm - spoiler alert - dies, Morgan is the one who seems most genuinely upset. He cradles Saul with such care - I believe the implication here is that the two men shared an intimate love.

And lastly, it is not only men who get to have all the queer fun in The Old Dark House. Eva Moore plays Rebecca Femm, the sister who runs the house. She is dominant, especially compared to her brother Horace and she is obsessed with the sins of others. Her fervor, her judgement - she strikes me as somebody who is very repressed. Dare I say - a repressed lesbian. Perhaps the most overt scene is when Gloria Stuart’s character Margaret goes upstairs to change out of her clothes that are wet from the rain.

Rebecca thinks of nothing but sin and lust and sex because she herself is so tempted by these things all the time.

Rebecca follows Margaret upstairs, and watches her change. Again, she’s judgmental, but also very specific in the things she’s judging. As she examines Margaret’s body, she says, “You’re wicked too…You think of nothing but your long straight legs, and your white body, and how to please your man…” . But it feels like Rebecca is the one thinking those things. Rebecca is thinking about Margaret’s legs and body. And is perhaps jealous of who Margaret is thinking about pleasing. And at one point, Rebecca pulls up Margaret’s dress a little bit. She touches her right above the chest. I truly believe that Rebecca thinks of nothing but sin and lust and sex because she herself is so tempted by these things all the time, and perhaps she doth protest too much.

And if we hadn’t already picked up on this, I think that there’s something to the name Femm itself. Of all the names in the world, why did this family with a gender-bending patriarch, a domineering sister, an effeminate brother, and two outcast male lovers get the last name Femm? I noticed that even the actors in the film known to be straight, were still very much activists in one way or another. I think James Whale was pretty purposeful casting in this way.

Gloria Stuart in The Old Dark House, 1932.

Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, and Gloria Stuart were all founding members of the Screen Actors Guild, and Eva Moore was an active suffragist. I know this in itself is not explicitly queer, but all of these members of the cast actively pushed against social norms in order to fight for what’s right, so I could see why James Whale would want to work with them.

Upon release, The Old Dark House got mixed reviews. Some people just didn’t think it was interesting enough or not scary enough. But others understood James Whale’s vision, and what the all-star cast brought to the table. In the 90 years since, people have come to love The Old Dark House and many view it as one of James Whale’s best films. It’s also (of course) an incredible movie to unpack. In addition to queerness, there’s also commentary on class and status, on religion, on family dynamics. The Old Dark House’s influence is undeniable too. The movie I most often see it associated with now is the Rocky Horror Picture Show, but I also see so many similarities to Clue. I would be really surprised if James Whale and The Old Dark House wasn’t at least in some part inspiration for Clue.

Now, I want to hear your thoughts. Did I miss any other queer-coding in The Old Dark House, or tell me if you think that I’m totally off the mark!