The House on Marsh Road (1960) - Movie Review

What if I told you that there was a 60’s noir horror mashup that played it completely serious?

What if I added that it has a pretty amazing cast for the B-film in a double feature?

Oh, and the film’s score and cinematography are solid?

Now, what if I told you it’s one of the most joyless horror viewing experiences I’ve suffered through?

Let’s discuss.

The House on Marsh Road is a 1960 matinee thriller film brought to us by writer Maurice J Wilson and director Montgomery Tully. I don’t expect anyone to be familiar with these frequent collaborators. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. These men were both fairly talented filmmakers who were workhorses of their day. Their careers stretch from 1937 to 1967, which is an impressive feat in itself for any filmmaker, much more so for those who started before the conclusion of World War II.

However, these men were relegated to a career of mainly B-films during the double-feature boom of the late 50s and early 60s. So, they were paid to make movies under budget and in a hurry. The best estimate I’ve found from actual film critics and historians on the shooting schedules of B-films from this era is four to five days. Which, compared to some Syfy original films of the 2000s, seems fairly standard, but that (sometimes enjoyable) slop is mainly stock footage and bad CGI. Two things these men had no access to.

That being said, this movie isn’t good.

The film focuses on David and Jean Linton as they take ownership of Jean’s inheritance, an old, spooky house in a backwoods country town. The couple has hit a rough patch. David, a struggling writer, is hoping he’ll be able to complete his novel before they sell the house and go back to the big city. When Jean decides to keep the house and make it her own, David decides he’s had enough. While working on his mystery novel with the voluptuous typist, he paid with his wife’s money, David decides to use his book as the blueprint. He is going to commit the perfect murder. He has a great plan, and he is prepared for almost every contingency, except one. Jean’s Aunt was a spiritualist, and her home was known to have a permanent invisible resident, a ghostly poltergeist named Patrick. Will the sleezy husband and his big-breasted mistress be able to murder Jean and play it off as a tragic accident, or will the haunted house claim more ghosts?

I have seen so many people post raving about how good this movie is. I don’t see it. It’s not the worst movie ever, but it drags in stretches. The ghost is the selling point in all of the film’s marketing, and even the early portion of the film itself, but then it’s also diminished and played off as bad luck. It’s never a point of emphasis, really, until the climax.

There aren’t any effects to speak of, other than things on strings, and there are no scares.

The acting, cinematography, and directing are all top-notch.

The legendary Tony Wright absolutely kills it as the shit-eating heel of a husband. He is an unsung hero of the 60s film era and absolutely carries the film on his shoulders. If he’d had a script worth his talent, he could have really made this character a complex villain. As it was, his character was just a noir stereotype.

Sandra Dorne is always a pleasure to watch, though I think she was miscast due to her bra size. I think she would have been much better served as the wife in this picture. Sandra is expressive, fiery, and gorgeous. She would have given a much more emotional and relatable performance than Patricia Dainton. Dainton is a beautiful woman and a talented actress, but she is definitely more suited to play the high-society stepmother than the relatable, down-to-earth lead.

I wish this talented group had been given more to work with.

While the film wasn’t a popcorn treat to watch, it was still better than most straight-to-streaming drivel made for ten times the budget. The skill of these unsung heroes of the double-feature boom showcases their talents by salvaging what they did from a threadbare plot, low budget, and short shooting schedule.

I would recommend watching it, because it is a solidly made throwaway film, but you should watch it with a better film to play the A-role in the double feature. I’d recommend the 1960 horror classic City of Damned, but what do I know?

Check this one out streaming free on YOUTUBE.