The House of Secrets

Who are the secretive strangers holding secret meetings at Hawks Nest Manor? What secret treasure is secreted within its walls? Welcome to THE HOUSE OF SECRETS, where everything is a BIG, FAT SECRET!

Being kept in the dark is part and parcel of enjoying a good mystery story, but it's usually carried off with just a little more finesse than in this 1936 effort, where characters flat-out refuse to explain anything, while repeatedly explaining that they can't explain anything. Ever. 

No sooner has ferry passenger Barry Wilding (played by a slightly smarmy but still likeable Leslie Fenton) made the acquaintance of a mystery woman (Muriel Evans) than she's coming out with mysterious things like, "I can't explain, but you're an American and I'm an American and that's all we can ever know about each other!" A bit dramatic, perhaps - as is tossing her own handbag into the English Channel in case he grabs it and reads the name on her Boots loyalty card - but it's that kind of movie... 

The kind of movie where Barry finds out, as soon as he arrives in London, that he's inherited the Trevelyan family estate, Hawks Nest, left to him by a 'barmy' uncle and requiring him to sign the deeds - in blood! - beneath a clause that reads, "By ye blood that cometh from my heart, I swear to keep Hawks Nest till death do us part."

And that could be sooner than Barry might like, since, when he gets to the manor (a spiffy fifteen miles from London) he discovers a ragtag bunch of ne'er-do-wells who'd like nothing better than to see the back of him... preferably with several bullets in it. There's shady scientists, Chicago gangsters, the mystery woman from the boat, unsympathetic police officers, and even the Home Secretary himself. What the bliddy heck is going on?

Well, it's a while before you really find out - and, to be honest, you'll probably have cooked up some more interesting theories of your own in the meantime - but it's mostly good fun, with things picking up considerably following the introduction of the secret-treasure subplot (which arrives, like most things, out of thin air). The gangsters have somehow obtained a torn piece of parchment containing clues to the loot's whereabouts and, oh, Barry has the other half. If everyone could manage to stop wandering the estate bumping into each other in the dark for five minutes, they might even be able to piece things together and discover a secret passage!

If as much care and attention had gone into the plot as the set designers put into this secret chamber, we might have been onto something. As it is, The House of Secrets is a bit of a mixture, to put it kindly, of plot elements, tone and British and American influences. The humour is thankfully on the subtle side, with wisecracks in the style of The Cat and the Canary bringing warmth to most of the characters (except poor Muriel Evans, who gets nothing even remotely fun to do). 

The designers do seem to be having fun with the sets and overall look of the film - not only the aforementioned hidden dungeon but some exaggerated window views outside the offices in the London scenes, and some great vintage stock footage of Piccadilly Circus. There's also a lovely camera glide between two rooms of Scotland Yard, sneaking 'impossibly' through a wall in a delightful throwaway moment very much in the movie's style. 

Is it a genuine Old Dark House film? There's perhaps not quite enough time spent in the house itself, despite vivid themes around inheritance, mysterious guests and, of course, secret-passage peril. But the sense of intrigue is strong, if a tad frustrating at times, and it's a fairly brisk and inoffensive affair, which should appeal to Old Dark House fans and wider mystery buffs equally. 

RATING: 🕸🕸