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.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

We all know Charles Laughton can play someone likable, and we all know he can play a bad guy-but in The Strange Door he plays both! He's a man driven insane by jealousy and a broken heart, but he's not dark and brooding. He cracks jokes, giggles, and treats everything with a light touch that doesn't overlap into mugging or milking. In the midst of this very dark, creepy story, I found myself laughing every time he was on the screen!Charles lives in a creepy, mysterious house with his niece, Sally Forrest. He arranges for her to marry Richard Wyler, but the pair isn't very willing. Charles is very insistent that his plans get carried out, so he enlists his faithful servant Boris Karloff to help. Poor Boris! Throughout the movie, his only motivation is to be helpful, but he's ordered around by so many different people he gets confused. Despite Charles's humor and Boris's sweetness, this movie isn't really very good. It's not one I'd want to watch over and over again, but if you like old, campy, scary movies, you can rent it.

Entertaining Gothic thriller from Universal starring Charles Laughton as a sadistic nobleman who takes a young ne'er-do-well prisoner and plans to marry him off to his niece as a means of punishing her. Boris Karloff also appears but it's a part that's frankly beneath him at this stage of his career. Chaney and Lugosi I understand playing parts like this because of how their demons had wrecked their careers. But Karloff kept his nose clean and deserved better. Anyway, Charles Laughton is the reason to watch as he has a grand time playing to the rafters. The story is okay with some decent twists and turns, but it's really only worth a look for the healthy doses of ham from Laughton.

The film begins with Sire Alain de Maletroit (Charles Laughton) meeting some of his employees at a pub (circa 1750 give or take a week). The agents indicate that they have found a real scoundrel--a horrible man who is a liar and debaucher. Why, you don't know, but they then set up this scoundrel to get into a fight an seemingly kill a man. Then, as he runs away, he's taken by carriage to Laughton's manor. It seems that the scoundrel has been recruited for a special job--to marry Laughton's niece in order to make her miserable! Why would Laughton's character do this? Well, it seems that 20 years earlier, a woman was supposed to marry him but instead ran off with his brother. Shortly afterwords, she died in childbirth (with the niece) and Laughton has plotted all those years to make his brother (who he keeps locked in the dungeon) and the niece miserable. Nice guy, huh?! Boris Karloff is also in the film as one of Laughton's servants. However, he hates his master and wants to help the lady escape her mad Uncle's clutches. And, in a strange twist, the scoundrel turns out to be not such a bad guy after all, and he also vows to rescue the lady. Part of this is because he just saw the man he supposedly killed in the pub--and he knows that Laughton cannot be trusted. Part of this is because he's fallen for the niece.For Laughton, this sort of film suits him. Never was he accused of being a subtle actor and here he could allow himself to be bombastic and cruel and eat up the scenery--he was a good choice for the role. Karloff, on the other hand, had a role that wasn't particularly complex or interesting--many actors could have handled this role just as well.Overall, it's a cool little horror film--in particular, because the horror is man-made---usually the scariest kind! After all, Frankenstein or Dracula lack the cruelty that Laughton's character has. Despite this, the film isn't overly vivid--and this is a good thing. If the movie were done these days, the subtlety would all be gone and gore would replace it. Here, good writing and acting (minor concerns, I know) are allowed to shine--making for a very satisfying tale of revenge and evil.

While the movie publicity foregrounds Boris Karloff as the "sell" for this picture, it's actually Charles Laughton's vehicle more than Boris's (Boris is relegated to a supporting role as a wily henchman ready to slit throats for his master who is imprisoned by Laughton's diabolical Sire de Maletroit). But there's plenty to chew on even for Boris purists, as he has some choice moments here and there and eventually saves the day (oops! should I not have told you?). The film is full of splendid atmosphere, but may seem like fluff to contemporary audiences who can't fathom the "issue" importance of pretty Sally Forest being married off to a rogue against her wishes (you see, in those days people were wed for life). And still, the film is really about mood over material and -- in my humble opinion -- it succeeds beautifully as a lesser-known thriller of court intrigue and swashbuckling derring-do. Laughton is superlative as a sleazy nobleman whose personal hatred of his imprisoned brother drives him to make every attempt to dash the happiness of the niece in his charge. Supporting players are fine also, with the always lurid Michael Pate on hand as well as William Cottrell as Laugton's sadistic servants. Nothing supernatural here, necessarily, as one might hope from a movie combining the talents of Laughton and Karloff, but the Robert Louis Stevenson based-story doesn't disappoint from a romantic or melodramatic standpoint. Even Richard Stapley's somewhat fey hero (who doesn't seem remotely like the rogue Laughton believes him to be) can't sink this one. Whoever said it was dull obviously doesn't have much to work with in terms of an imagination. Pop some popcorn, curl up on the sofa late at night, and enjoy this period-piece. How often do we get to see Laughton cackling away in a dungeon (where he goes "to relax" as he puts it)...or Karloff as the hero...?