the leading man is my tpye

Very disappointed :(

Masterful Movie

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

You don't cast a bland-looking nepotistic bore in the midst of a mostly heavyweight cast, regardless of whether you're making a Disney comedy or tortureporn. Desi Arnaz? He looks like he should be in "The Brady Bunch" or part of the Osmonds, singing some happy-flappy tune.The premise is just too stupid for words: a writer, Desi - doubtlessly a buffoonish writer (perhaps a parody of Stephen King?) - bets his publisher he can write a NOVEL on par with "Wuthering Heights" in 24 hours. Now, I'm no mathematics genius, but he'd have to type at lightning speed without no 1, eating or no 2 just to write ANYTHING the size of a novel (for example "all work and no play makes Desi a dull clown"), let alone a finished manuscript that would compare to a classic, overrated or not. This fact alone should have given Desi's boss enough confidence to win the bet without resorting to sabotage; I mean, who wouldn't win that bet? It'd be like someone betting you they can eat the Eiffel Tower in a week. Would you sabotage them?Dumber still, his boss concocts that plan - spontaneously(!) - how to screw over Desi, in what turns out to be more elaborate than an Oliver Stone conspiracy or that absurd Fincher flick, "The Game". Just how his boss managed to get the whole thing organized in a few hours, in what took on the shape of a major theatrical play almost, that's naturally never explained. Nor is it clear how openly CHEATING in a bet wins the bet. But then again, his boss does lose the bet in the prologue, after the whole charade: huh?The setting is nice, there's plenty of corny thunder every 5 minutes, and even the female cast is mostly not unattractive (a gift not to be taken for granted in a UK film), but the whole thing just wasn't funny (giving Desi all the shoddy one-liners just makes the dialog even worse), and the twist was quite predictable - simply because this is billed as a comedy. Kinda like putting 2 and 2 together.No, just because it's a "comedy" doesn't justify the sheer absurdity. Nor is it acceptable that the director LIES to the audience; for example, the scene in which the sexy brunette pours acid on herself. She was clearly playing for the camera, not for Desi, his intended "victim". That's rubbish writing, dumb logic. Characters aren't supposed to know they're being watched by an audience - otherwise they might start doubting their own existence, might start feeling a little like Keanu in "The Matrix" (IF that film had been intelligently written).Desi even hits on the blonde in the last scene, despite finding out she's married and meeting her husband - and the floozy actually hints she's up for an affair! Perhaps this dumb film was written by a swinger with a poor sense of humour.

This was a really fun movie bringing together a bunch of classic horror stars in their old age for one last ride. I was with the story of the writer coming to a house to write a novel and coming across a weird family and a long lost brother out for revenge up until the ending that tries to get cute and do a double twist that kind of ruins everything you've just seen. Cushing's lisp was a tad strange, but he may have been ill, I'm not sure. Christopher Lee was intense as always and Vincent Price was his usual awesome self even if none of their roles could hold a candle to their classic ones. I'd say this is worth tracking down for a fun night, just be warned that the ending will probably annoy you.

Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and John Carradine in one movie is like a dream come true and a recipe for a truly great time. House of the Long Shadows is not a great movie, but it is an interesting one and better than I was led to believe. It does have flaws of course, the ending is unsatisfying and feels like more than one ending rolled into a single one, the middle drags and Desi Arnaz Jnr gives an awful lead performance, very wooden and overly-serious. However, the production values complete with a suitably Gothic mansion are in keeping with the spooky atmosphere and in the genre House of the Long Shadows is an example of. The music has a very haunting sound to it, I loved the tongue-in-cheek humour and thrills in the script(Vincent Price having the best lines and he really relishes them), and the story has some nice-if occasionally silly- twists and turns and is mostly swiftly paced. The opening sequence is great. The murder sequences are not exactly subtle, but are suspenseful and evoke some chills. The four stars Price, Cushing, Lee and Carradine- easily the highlights of the film- are brilliant, distinctive and commanding with a very one-of-a-kind chemistry. In conclusion, fun and interesting if far from perfect. 7/10 Bethany Cox

House of Long Shadows (1981) (Vincent Price's last horror film) – Directed by Peter Walker, starring Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Desi Arnaz Jr., John Carradine, Sheila Keith, Julie Peasgood, and Richard Todd.House of the Long Shadows should be noticeable enough for any fan of horror as it was the last B Horror film that Vincent Price made. This film is the sixth adaption of George M. Cohan's satire novel "Seven Keys to Baldpate". The Plot involves a writer (played by Desi Arnaz Jr), who makes a bet with his publisher (Richard Todd), and visits a spooky house. While there he hopes to get relaxation, but is instead visited by some very strange characters.House of the Long Shadows is among the final films that Vincent Price made in his career that were B-budgeted horror films, nearly seventy when it was released. House of the Long Shadows is also the last time that Price received top billing in. The film also reunited Price with both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing (the trio starred in Scream and Scream again, 13 years earlier), and it's good to see them on the screen again (Price and Cushing appeared together in Madhouse, and Dr. Phibes rides again, and Price also starred with Lee in the Oblong Box). This is also the last time that Lee and Cushing appear together in a film (the two appeared in a total of 22 movies). It is also the sixth of seven films that Price and John Carradine made together. Lee is good as Mr. Lawson (who seems to be pretty resistant about a lot of things), and Peter Cushing is great as ever in his role as To be fairly honest the worst thing about this film without a doubt is Desi Arnaz Jr., Lucille Ball's son, who is pretty pathetic in the "supposed" leading role, showing little to no range, and is totally miscast, bringing the film down quite a notch. However the music is great (especially the music that plays in Vincent Price introduction scene which is perfect, setting the introduction to a legend of horror, and reminding us of why he is so great in the first place), and it's great to see four horror legends on the screen (Price, Lee, Cushing, and Carradine). Not a huge recommendation, but still good to watch on a rainy day.