The Shuttered Room
The Shuttered Room (a.k.a. Blood Island) is a 1967 British horror film directed by David Greene and starring Gig Young and Carol Lynley as a couple who move into a house with dark secrets. It is based on a short story of the same name by August Derleth, published as a so-called "posthumous collaboration" with H. P. Lovecraft. The film has also been re-released under the title Blood Island.[1][2]
| The Shuttered Room | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | David Greene |
| Produced by | Philip Hazelton (as Phillip Hazleton) |
| Written by | D. B. Ledrov Nathaniel Tanchuck |
| Starring | Gig Young Carol Lynley |
| Music by | Basil Kirchin |
| Cinematography | Kenneth Hodges |
| Edited by | Brian Smedley-Aston |
Production company | Troy-Schenck Productions |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros.-Seven Arts (Worldwide) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99-100 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Although set in the U.S., the film was shot in Kent and Norfolk, England.[3] The film features a large half-brick, half-timber watermill, which is destroyed by fire in the closing scenes. The building used was Hardingham Mill on the River Yare in Norfolk.[4][5]
Plot
Susannah Kelton, a newly married woman who was raised in foster care in the city, learns that her real parents have died and left their property to her. She and her husband Mike travel to the island of Dunwich off the coast of Massachusetts to inspect the property. They find a local culture that is clannish, backward and ignorant. The few friends whom they make among the locals, including Susannah's aunt Agatha, warn them that the family mill is cursed and urge the Keltons to leave immediately and never look back.
Refusing to bow to superstition, the couple consider rebuilding the abandoned mill. They become the target of a gang of local thugs led by Susannah's lecherous cousin, Ethan. Their reign of terror is ended by something still living in the shuttered attic room of the mill, something that caused Susannah to have nightmares as a child.
Cast
- Gig Young as Mike Kelton
- Carol Lynley as Susannah Whately Kelton / Sarah
- Oliver Reed as Ethan
- Flora Robson as Aunt Agatha
- Judith Arthy as Emma
- Rick Jones as Luther Whately
- Ann Bell as Mary Whately
- William Devlin as Zebulon Whately
- Charles Lloyd-Pack as Barge Master
- Bernard Kay as Tait
- Donald Sutherland as Zebulon (voice)
- Celia Hewitt as Aunt Sarah
- Robert Cawdron as Luther Whately
- Murray Evans as gang member
- Clifford Diggins as gang member
- Peter Porteous as gang member
- Anita Anderson as Susannah as a child
Production
The script was originally written by Alexander Jacobs and Nathaniel Tanchuck. Filming began in April 1966.[6] Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs (1971) would have many similarities.
References
- Mitchell, Charles P. (2001). The Complete H.P. Lovecraft Filmography. Westport: Greenwood Press. p. 185. ISBN 9780313316418.
- Smith, Don G. (2006). H.P. Lovecraft in Popular Culture: The Works and Their Adaptations in Film, Television, Comics, Music and Games. Jefferson: McFarland & Co. p. 51. ISBN 9780786420919.
- Vallance, Tom (11 April 2003). "David Greene". The Independent. London. p. 20.
- "Take a walk on location in the steps of the stars". Eastern Daily Press. Norwich. 7 June 2012.
- http://www.reelstreets.com/index.php/component/films/?task=view&id=1817&film_ref=shuttered_roon,_the
- Martin, Betty. (14 March 1966). "Schaffner to Direct 'Spy'". Los Angeles Times. p. c19.