Eerie mood and scenes that burn into your psyche
A well-to-do man and his young wife (Gig Young and Carol Lynley) visit an island off the coast of New England, which was the childhood home of the wife. They are harassed by ruffians and learn that her now-dilapidated estate is haunted or cursed. Although warned to leave by the locals they decide to stick around. Havoc ensues.
“The Shuttered Room,” aka “Blood Island” (1967), is a drama/mystery with horror elements based on a story by August Derleth and H. P. Lovecraft. I saw it as a kid and certain scenes were effectively burned into my memory, like the gravel-surfing gang and the surfer thrust into the barbed-wire fence, the old crone eerily rocking on her perch in the tower and the spooky POV shots of the unseen presence in the old mill spying on what's happening below. Other memorable elements are the awesome Crested Serpent Eagle and the offbeat jazzy score.
Oliver Reed is great as the head ruffian likely because he was a drunken brawler in real life. He has that captivating Brando aura, but with a more sinister bent.
Carol Lynley (from 1972's "The Poseidon Adventure") was 24 during shooting and she's breathtaking. It's strange that her character, Susannah, is married to a man played by Gig Young in the story since he was in his early 50s, but it happens. Besides, he hardly seemed “old” and could clearly handle himself.
The story takes place on an island off the coast of New England but it was shot at Kent and Hardingham, England. Although these are excellent locations you can tell it's not a New England isle. Why didn't they simply change the setting to England? Some complain about the revelation of the unseen presence at the end, but it worked for me. In fact, I found it surprising; it’s also realistic. Real life is creepier than fantasy. That's all I’ll say without spoiling it.
Although it may be kind of boring to modern viewers, "The Shuttered Room" works so well (for me) because it creates an eerie mood, has striking characters played by quality actors and has a handful of memorable scenes that burn into your psyche. It's a mystery/horror flick not in the sense that it's uber-scary and gory, but rather weird, creepy and disturbing in an understated way.
The film runs 1 hour, 38 minutes
GRADE: B+/A-
