Memorable, crazy movie

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Dame Judith Anderson is relatively quiet in comparison to her other film and stage triumphs, but when she decides to burn down that haunted cottage, where a murder took place 15 years before, I thought she was coming back as Mrs. Danvers in "Rebecca," 7 years before. Remember what she did to Manderley?Anderson lives with her brother, portrayed by Edward G. Robinson, a questionable character and their adopted daughter. As the film goes on, we slowly find out what had happened years before.Everything begins to erupt when Robinson hires Lon McCalister, a neighborhood boy, to help him around the farm, and the latter, taking a short-cut through the woods to get home, stumbles upon the deep woods, hears voices and screaming throughout. He is soon joined by the adopted daughter who slowly begins to remember this red house.Eerie, but somewhat entertaining. Rory Calhoun stars as the drunken guy hired by Robinson to keep tabs on the surrounding area around the house.

The novel is a classic thriller made several times into a film. In this outing Judith Anderson, Edward G, Robinson, Rory Calhoun and Julie London are familiar today performers of the period who certainly shine in their roles yet the unusual Hollywood morality of the forties colors this project. The thriller scenes have excellent sound, camera work and editing. Much of it the movie Hollywood gold yet the forties mentality of the whole piece seems dated today and therefore in my viewpoint not a keeper. This perhaps ranks with the Hammer films later in time featuring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee more enjoyable to fans of this unusual take on thrillers than to general audiences.

This is a movie that works by misdirection. The viewer starts watching and thinks that Pete (Edward G. Robinson) and Ellen (Judith Anderson) might be man and wife, living with their daughter Meg (Allene Roberts). As the film unfolds, it soon becomes apparent that Meg is the 'adopted' daughter of Pete and Ellen--so that the viewer would expect that Meg considers Pete and Ellen as her parents--man and wife. Only as the film unfolds do we learn that Pete and Ellen are brother and sister, that Meg is the child of Ellen; that the father of Meg was killed (?) by Pete, out of twisted jealous love for his sister. So this is not 'madness' but a real murder mystery. Pete's unnatural desire for his niece--seems more of an attempt to silence exposure of a long distant murder.There are lose ends to the movie, but that just might be a way to let the psychological drama unfold. But they still are lose ends. For example, what exactly is Teller's (Rory Calhoun) relationship to Pete? Why does Pete need a $750 government bond? Why has Pete chosen Teller to be armed guardian of the land the Red House stands on? Does Teller plan on actually killing Meg with his gun--making him something of a sociopath? And did Pete kill Ellen's lover out of twisted love for his sister? Or was it revenge for getting his sister pregnant before marriage--not so terribly uncommon in many rural locations? It's a film that works because the presentation on the screen misdirects the viewer, and the viewer wants explanation for what is unfolding and why it is unfolding the way it is. And as the film unfolds, explanations are forthcoming.The acting, as to be expected is excellent, though oftentimes Pete's performance (Edgar G. Robinson) seems over the top; but then, this is a psycho drama with some dark passages very much like Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher"--to which it has certain analogies. Pete drowning in quick sand at the end and Poe's house falling into the meer. It's an excellent film, worth the viewing.

"This is the way it could always be Jeanie"... then you hear the mysterious theramin music cue up. There are some excellent moments in this film. But such moments are widely separated by ...well.... lots of country roads, fields, trees, rocks.Certified acting heavyweights Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson are in fine form and masterful as usual. The four younger actors Lon Mcallister, Rory Calhoun, Allene Roberts and steamy country vixen Julie London also provide fine acting performances. The acting is the main reason for you to view this.Wind in the woods punctuated by overly loud music is neither exciting enough nor scary, nor is the frequent plot device of folks running around looking concerned and threatening each other with guns. The bucolic countryside is almost too passive as a setting for the goings-on here. The whole thing is just too long and stretched out with all the woods and countryside and general lack of editing.However, Robinson's character is interesting and he plays it to perfection. The ending of this movie involving Robinson's fate provides the most unique piece of concept and film-making skill in the picture, but the scene is very brief.So, you might say "The Red House" succeeds in spite of itself. Overall it is a recommend for me, especially for Robinson completists.