Such a frustrating disappointment

Sadly Over-hyped

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Edward G. Robinson generally excelled in making interesting roles and particularly border line cases. This is one of the most extreme ones. Together with Judith Anderson, his sister in this film who pities him and has taken care of him all his life, they have brought up an adopted daughter and concealed her true origin from her. The film is bristling with mysteries and secrets from the start. How did he get his wooden leg? Why is he so terrified of his own forest? The question marks keep towering until the first blow is dealt and the first shot is fired, and then the weird but logical consequences of a natural development keep assembling into a constantly more eerie plot of hidden traumas that ultimately must burst out into the open. Robinson's acting is of particular interest here, and the director specializes all the way in catching the silent language of expressions, furtive glances, worried looks, especially in the young girl (Allene Roberts) who looks worried from the start and has reasons to be. There is a secondary plot as well with a loose woman finding herself in the wrong company of an unwilling villain, who is paid to add to the scariness, so the film is replenished indeed with intriguing drama, gradually towering into a very appropriate finale in a passionate burst of confusion.Well, well, the film is a perfect example of how a petty rustic story of farmers and small folk by the cinema can be turned into a towering drama of both tragedy and release. Miklos Rosza with his music completes the stamp of perfection, and a film like this could not have found more suitable music of more spellbinding kind.

I have obviously seen a different movie than many of the other user-reviewers. They have praised this as one of the best, great music, fantastic performances etc etc etc.I watched it knowing absolutely nothing about it and expecting nothing and that is what I got.The "wonderful" music was omnipresent, loud and intrusive. When you want to say "turn down the music" something is definitely wrong.The casting ? Robinson and Dame Judith as siblings ? Really? In which gene pool ? Typically the "high school" aged kids are too old, especially Julie London.Then there is the "plot". It just made no sense. It was not "mysterious" it was just vague, muddled, annoying and dumb.Seeing a young Rory Calhoun was one of the only pluses in this mess of a movie.

I had forgotten all about this film until I acquired it in the Dark Crimes 50-Pack Films Collection and watched it again. It's a pretty good mystery thriller. It is worth watching if you happen to run across the film. It is in fact a Dark Crime film.A secret is being harbored about the red house in the woods by Pete Morgan (Edward G. Robinson). Pete adopted Meg for his daughter after her parents ran off and raised her with the help his sister Ellen. Pete has a wooden leg and his sister insisted he is in need of some help around the farm. Pete finally agrees and hires Meg's friend Nath to help but tells Nath and reminds Meg NOT go to into the "haunted woods" where the red house stands. Nath and Meg are very curious and ends up trying to solve the mystery of the red house.Unnecessary to the core of the story is Tibby, Nath's girlfriend - their part of the story is really more of a time filler than anything.Overall a good little mystery film.6/10

. . . especially when he's down to his last leg, as "Pete" (Edward G. Robinson) is in THE RED HOUSE. This low-budget mess resulted from someone's lame idea that if you threw several unknown young actors together with "Mrs. Danvers" (REBECCA's Judith Anderson) and DR. CLITTERHOUSE himself (Robinson) you might get a passable suspense and\or horror flick. Unfortunately, the trashy script, based upon a magazine serial, plays like Eugene O'Neill Lite. Instead of DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS, we're treated to WAILING IN THE WOODS. Pete is mad as a hatter, but he lives in some alternate universe in which everyone else exists as his zombie-like enablers, whose sole purpose is to carry out his crazy commands. From sister Ellen to ward Meg, from gamekeeper Teller to handy boy Nath, from Nympho Tibby to Doc Byrne, everyone lets Peg-leg Pete get away with murder. To add insult to injury, this flop is filmed in grainy black & white. Truth-in-advertising dictates that it be retitled THE GRAY HOUSE.