The Red House

An atmospheric 1947 mystery melodrama based on a novel by George Agnew Chamberlain, The Red House stars Edward G. Robinson as a one-legged widower/farmer raising an orphan girl and guarding a secret in the woods. Long a staple of video and DVD bargain bins, the film is a kind of rural gothic noir, with Robinson's character, Pete Morgan, protective of adopted teenage daughter, Meg (Allene Roberts), and terrified of people tramping through the woods behind his place. The stories he tells to scare folks off—tales of ghosts and strange occurrences—don't bother his new hired hand, Nath (Lon McCallister), a high school boy whom Meg has a crush on. Nath survives a late-night walk with a bump to his head and a determination to investigate the mystery of the “red house” that Pete keeps mentioning. Judith Anderson costars as Pete's devoted sister, Ellen, and future torch singer Julie London is Nath's sexy blonde girlfriend, Tibby, who actually prefers dangerous bad boys—such as local tough Teller (Rory Calhoun). Writer-director Delmer Daves creates an effectively unsettling atmosphere while bringing out strong performances from the entire cast. Film Chest prepares public domain movies for Blu-ray release by using heavy digital clean-up tools rather than restoring film prints, but while this process makes for a significant improvement over any previous DVD release, the overhaul also removes detail and texture. On the plus side, this package features both the DVD and Blu-ray versions. Extras include a restoration demo. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)[Blu-ray Review—Apr. 5, 2016—The Film Detective, 100 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $14.99—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 1947's The Red House features a decent transfer but no extras. Bottom line: those who already own the 2012 Blu-ray/DVD Combo edition of this title can skip this one, which is otherwise recommended.]