Excellent but underrated film

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Blistering performances.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

House of Long Shadows is a joy to watch simply to see the great horror actors together. Base loosely on Seven Keys To Baldpate, it is about a popular novelist Kenneth Magee making a bet with his publisher as to whether he can write a Wuthering Heights type novel in 24 hours. In order to be able to write and to soak up the right kind of atmosphere, he drives through the Welsh countryside to a manor house called Baldpate Manor. There he finds an elderly couple, father and daughter who are supposedly the caretakers. That is when the fun really begins. I have always loved the old style horror movies and I grew up watching the films of John Carradine, Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Seeing them together was an absolute treat and while the story itself becomes a little silly, their presence lifts it into something more. The rest of the cast a wonderful in their roles, but really the film belongs to the four actors that play father and sons. Even if you find the plot of the film a little simplistic, sit back and watch the masters of the silver screen do their stuff. Enjoy.

This is a great movie. OK, it's not Shakespeare, I know, but I remember seeing this on cable when I was a kid and I loved it!! Were those people real or were they simply the writer's imagination? I still don't know for sure. It would be great to see this as an adult. I loved Murder By Death as a child and even more so as an adult (when I understood the humor better) and this is one of those movies from my memories that I think I'd enjoy just as much. There were so many acting greats in this flick, it was like a horror who's who. I would be so thrilled to watch this again. This movie was such good fun. I hope someone finally gets to putting this on DVD. I don't understand why we can get trashy slasher flicks on DVD but not this one. So sad for us all!

An 'old dark house'-style horror/thriller, House Of The Long Shadows takes place in a seemingly deserted Welsh manor where American novelist Kenneth Magee (Desi Arnaz Jr.) attempts to write a Gothic novel in just twenty four hours after making a bet with his publisher Sam (Richard Todd). Shortly after settling in, a series of strange visitors arrive at the house to disturb his work...Many Pete Walker fans seem to consider this, his final film, to be a something of a disappointment, one that sees the director toning down his usual level of gruesome violence and wanton sleaze whilst failing to capitalize on the combined talent of four of the horror genre's greatest actors: Christopher Lee, Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and John Carradine.I may be a little biased (this was one of the first horrors that I ever saw at the cinema) but I think the film deserves a bit more respect: the basic plot might be well-worn—yet another retelling of The Seven Keys of Baldpate—but it is a lot of fun, with Walker achieving a suitably creepy ambiance, some effective scares and one or two delightfully grisly moments. And as far as the old-timers' performances are concerned, they are perfectly nuanced for such a tongue-in-cheek chiller, with Cushing in particular being vewy funny!I can even easily forgive the film's more preposterous moments, since most of them occur as part of Midnight Mansion, the Gothic novel hurriedly penned by novelist Magee over the course of the night. If I had to write an entire book in such a short space of time it would probably stretch plausibility a bit as well.

This film to me was like a tribute to Hammer,it's a pity you can't get hold of it on DVD if you get a chance to watch it and,if you were a Hammer horror fan enjoy,cause I believe if Boris Carlos was still alive when this film was made he would have appeared in it too. When Desi Anaz,decided,to up sticks and go to this house to get some inspiration for writing,his novel he thought it would be a relaxing vacation,I won't spoil the film too much but there is a great twist at the end,which make you feel like applauding the actors who were in the 60's and 70's king of horror. So if one of the film networks ever show it try not to miss it.