The Red House

Plot synopsis:
Pete Morgan and his sister Ellen are prosperous farmers, but their farm is starting to look rundown due to Pete's advancing age and his handicap from an artificial leg. They are known as "the mysterious Morgans" because of their adopted daughter Meg. No one knows who her parents were or how Pete and Ellen came to adopt her when she was a toddler. Now eighteen, Meg suggests that Pete hire a classmate of hers, Nath Storm, to work on the farm after school. Nath's widowed mother operates a general store in town but business is not good. Pete is reluctant to take on a farmhand because he doesn't want outsiders around, but Meg talks him into it. To her delight, Nath is allowed to start at once.During dinner, Pete and Ellen are somewhat taken aback to hear Nath refer to them as "the mysterious Morgans." Ellen explains that they are so self-sufficient on the farm that they rarely go into town. As for Meg, her parents left her in the Morgans' care while they took a trip. They were killed in an accident and as there were no other relatives, Pete and Ellen adopted her.Since it is late, the Morgans urge Nath to spend the night in the hired hand's cabin. When he insists on going home, Pete orders him not to go through Oxhead woods. The woods are dangerous and hard to navigate after dark. Nath protests that going the other way will take much longer. As he is trekking through the woods, someone knocks him into a stream. He returns to the farm sopping wet and accuses Pete of waylaying him. Pete again orders him to stay away from the woods.Meg is in love with Nath but he has a girlfriend, Tibby Renton. Although the two plan to marry, Tibby is attracted to Teller, an older man with a questionable past. He gives Tibby some money and asks her to buy him a savings bond. He doesn't want to be seen in town. They arrange to meet at a later date so she can give him the bond.Pete sometimes calls Meg "Jeannie" and mentions an abandoned dwelling in the woods called the Red House. She is uneasy when this happens but the Morgans have always been very good to her. Pete bought new furniture for her bedroom and gives her anything she asks for. Ellen is like a mother to her.Nath's mother closes the store and marries her boyfriend. The couple move away, leaving Nath on his own. Once school is out, he begins working full-time for the Morgans. Pete offers him the use of his car to go see Tibby on Sundays.Meg, Nath, and Tibby try to find the Red House. As they move deeper into the woods, Meg is struck by a feeling that she has been there before. When Tibby complains of being tired, they return to the farm and take a swim in the pond. But then Tibby lets it slip that they were looking for a mysterious house in the woods. Pete is furious and later tells Meg he is going to fire Nath. He says they were happy until Nath came around asking questions.Nath has already asked his mother about what happened to Pete's leg. Mrs. Storm says that Pete fell into a quarry many years earlier and the local physician, Dr. Byrne, amputated the leg on the Morgan's kitchen table.Tibby and Teller secretly meet and she gives him the bond. Although she is slightly afraid of him, that doesn't stop her from responding to his advances.It turns out that Pete has hired Teller to keep people out of the woods. He was the one who pushed Nath into the stream earlier. Pete is angry that Teller doesn't seem to be doing his job and threatens to fire him. Teller assures him that next time he will use stronger measures.Tibby's father owns an orchard. After being discharged by Pete, Nath goes to work for Mr. Renton. He and Tibby discuss their future and he is startled to learn that she wants to move away after their marriage. She wants a lifestyle that he cannot possibly give her. Later, Nath catches Tibby and Teller kissing. He and Teller get into a fight and Teller knocks him out. After that, Nath realizes that it is Meg he has loved all along.Meg decides to explore Oxhead woods on her own. Not wanting Pete to see her leaving the house, she climbs out the window and down a large tree. She follows an old trail and comes to the top of a hill. Below is an abandoned house, with an icehouse next to it. At last she has found the Red House. Before she can explore further, shots ring out. Teller is attempting to scare her off. As Meg runs toward home, she trips and breaks her leg. Nath eventually rescues her.Meg is forced to stay in bed until the cast is removed. Since he is not allowed to visit her, Nath climbs the tree and sneaks into her room. She tells him about finding the Red House. Pete overhears their conversation and comes to Meg's room. They hear him coming and Nath leaves, but Pete knows he has been there. He scares Meg by calling her Jeannie.Later, Pete and Ellen argue. She was once engaged to Dr. Byrne and accuses Pete of ruining her plan to marry. Pete didn't try to stop her but wouldn't let her take Meg with her. In a fury, he throws a lamp at Ellen and injures her arm. Meg hears the commotion and calls out to Ellen. Hiding her injury, Ellen assures Meg that nothing is wrong.Matters come to a head when Meg confides in Ellen that Pete watches her in a way that makes her uncomfortable. Ellen asks if he has ever forced himself on her. He has not, but Ellen decides to burn down the Red House. Only then will Pete be at peace. Meg wants to go with her but cannot walk so far due to her leg. She hides in the hired hand's cabin while Ellen, armed with a jug of gasoline, sets off for the Red House.Teller doesn't recognize Ellen in the darkness and fires off several shots. Ellen is hit and collapses. When Teller realizes what he has done, he runs away. Meg finds Ellen seriously injured and renders what first aid she can. Returning to the house, she begs Pete to help her rescue Ellen. But he says it is too late, once more mentioning Jeannie's name. Meg suddenly remembers that her mothers name was Genevieve and asks Pete if that is really Jeannie. Failing to get Pete's help, she telephones Nath.Ellen is dead by the time they reach her. They carry her home on a makeshift stretcher. Nath telephones the sheriff and goes in search of Teller. But Meg is terrified that Teller will shoot him. She begs Pete for help, saying that Jeannie will forgive him. She and Pete set off for the Red House in the truck. Meanwhile, Teller has gone to Tibby's house and persuaded her to elope with him. They set off in the Rentons' truck but the police are soon in pursuit. Tibby asks Teller what he has done. She realizes she doesn't want to marry him after all. When the police catch up with them, Teller is arrested for the murder of Ellen.Nath is not at the Red House when Pete and Meg arrive. They go inside and Meg realizes she once lived there. Pete locks the door, frightening Meg, but he assures her he is going to protect her this time. He lights a candle and Meg sees her baby bed still standing. Pete tells her the entire story. He and Jeannie were having an affair. When Jeannie broke it off, he went to the Red House to persuade her to change her mind. Meg's father drove up in a surrey. To keep Jeannie quiet, Pete put his hand over her mouth and nose, accidentally smothering her. He also killed Meg's father. Putting the bodies into the surrey, he drove it into the icehouse. The spring had broken through the floor and the surrey sank. In a fit of remorse, Pete tried to commit suicide by jumping into the quarry.Meg hears Nath and the sheriff outside and calls for help. Pete nearly smothers her in the same way he did Jeannie. When Nath and the sheriff burst into the house, Pete runs outside and climbs into his truck. Turning it around, he heads for the icehouse. He drives through the door and the truck sinks. As it goes down, a wheel from the surrey floats to the top.The movie ends with Nath finishing what Ellen started. As the Red House goes up in smoke, Meg and Nath watch.

Tags: insanity, romantic

Review:
Sometimes memories of things from youth don't hold up but in this case, RED HOUSE remains a bizarre and scary movie into adulthood.Robinson's performance is very atypical but effective.
Robinson)living with his sister(Judith Anderson) and adopted daughter(Allene Roberts)is hard pressed to deal with a young man(Lon McCallister)that comes to help out with chores.
Lon McAlister plays the young man who enters the scene and other youngsters are played by Rory Calhoun and Julie London who later became stars.It's easy to understand how the dark, forbidden woods affected me as a young child; but I doubt it would be so well received by today's kids.
Even if you do figure out the secret of the red house half way through (I did), the performances of everybody involved (especially Edward G Robinson) keeps your eyes glued to the screen from beginning all the way to the bitter and somewhat ironic end....if you ever run across it, please check it out....sadly, the prints that are available are a bit scratchy at best (which is what happens when a film is forgotten), but the film is an experience everybody should see for themselves......
All the cast is great, most especially Robinson in a powerful performance, as well as a very young Julie London who plays the beautiful local rich girl.
Robinson plays Pete Morgan, a reclusive older gentleman living with his sister (Judith Anderson) and an adopted teenage daughter, Meg (Allene Roberts).
Nath's girlfriend - kind of an erstwhile femme fatale - is played by the lovely Julie London, and it is no surprise to find that as Nath's attention turns to Meg, her attention turns to bad boy "Teller" (Rory Calhoun).Underneath all the typically teenage romantic dynamics lies several terrible secrets and possibly, something supernatural.
Robinson, Lon McAllister, Allene Roberts, Julie London, Rory Calhoun, Judith Anderson and Ona Munson are perfectly cast.
Robinson and Rozsa Duo. This film-noir may look like a B-film, but it contains two powerful pieces of work, that of actor Edward G.
Ably supporting Robinson is the strong Judith Anderson as the sister, the fine Lon McCallister as a callow but earnest youth, and the striking Rory Calhoun in one of his most impressive roles.
Under no circumstances is she or anyone else to go to a certain stretch of woods and to enforce that rule Robinson has hired Rory Calhoun to keep trespassers off.Of course you tell teenagers like Roberts, Lon McCallister, and Julie London not to do something or go somewhere and you know very well what's going to happen in movies and in real life.
Allene Roberts and Lon McCallister are a pair of nice young people, but they don't stand up against Rory Calhoun and Julie London.
The young actors (Lon McCallister, Allene Roberts, Julie London, and Rory Calhoun) hold their own very well.
In fact the film has a neat generational component about love and lost opportunities, jealousy, and plenty of repressed sexual desire that everyone (the old and the young) experience, along with the fairly riveting secret of the abandoned "Red House", buried in foreboding woods.
An old man (Edward G Robinson) and his sister (Judith Anderson) are concealing a terrible secret from their adopted teen daughter called Meg (Allene Roberts) .
Support cast is frankly well such as Judith Anderson of Rebeca as Ellen Morgan , Rory Calhoun as Teller , Allene Roberts as Meg , Julie London as Tibby , Ona Munson as Mrs. Storm , Pat Flatherty as cop and Harry Shannon .
Robinson doesn't want his adopted daughter to go near "The Red House" in this 1947 film which also stars Judith Anderson, Lon McAllister, Allene Roberts, Julie London and Rory Calhoun.
What they uncover is life-changing.Directed by Delmer Daves, "The Red House" is one scary noir with lots of night scenes that take place in the woods and a haunting ending.
Robinson, Judith Anderson, Lon McCallister, Rory Calhoun, Allene Roberts and Julie London.
Music is scored by Miklós Rózsa and cinematography by Bert Glennon.Pete Morgan (Robinson) and his sister Ellen (Anderson) struggle to conceal the secret of the red house in the woods from Meg (Roberts), their adopted teenage daughter...What lurks in the darkness?Part horror thriller, part noirish fairytale, The Red House is very much hard to clearly define.
The Morgan's, the brother and sister with guilt, regret and longings seeping from every pore, young Nath Storm (McCallister) and his mother, where he seems to call the shots and a farewell kiss is all too long, and the sexualised Tibby (London), who doesn't see the danger of pairing off a battle for her affections between Nath and moody older boy Teller (Calhoun), the latter of which has been given carte blanche by Pete Morgan to stalk the woods like some shotgun wielding predatory keeper of the woods' secret.Trespass At Your Own Risk.The director ensures that all and sundry are in fear of the woods, and sure enough, whenever the story switches to that area, the eerie factor is pumped up.
It's a simple setting and a simple story about the effect of a house on nutcase Edward G (Pete) and the curse of the woods.After student Lon McCallister (Nath) takes his first walk through the woods at night-time, the scary woods become the most important cast member.
We get a mystery/thriller as teenagers Lon and Allene Roberts (Meg) explore the woods in search of the Red House.
Robinson as farmer Pete Morgan goes psycho here much like he did as "Wolf" Larson in the movie "The Sea Wolf" as he tries to keep of what the mysterious and creepy Red House-That's on his property-has hidden in it.
All hell breaks loose when he hires his step daughter Meg's, Allene Roberts, boyfriend Nath Storm,Lon McCallister, as a farm hand who get's not only very romantic with Meg, whom control freak Morgan wants to keep all to himself, but insists to check out the area where the red house is located in.It soon becomes apparent that both Morgan and his live in sister Ellen, Judith Anderson, have a skeleton hidden in the closet that they've been hiding from the world for at least 15 years and in Pete Morgan's case is more then willing to kill to keep that secret from seeing the light of day.
There's also both the sexy and hot to trot Tibby, Julie London, who's got the hots from the boyishly handsome Nath and the devilishly handsome local sh*t kicker Teller played by an Elvis Presley looking, some seven years before anyone ever knew of him, Rory Calhoun whom Morgan uses to terrorize anyone from finding out the secret about his red house that he keeps hidden deep in the woods.****SPOILERS**** You can see that Morgan is not all there to begin with but as the secret of the red house and what's hidden in it starts to leak out, due to the efforts of both Meg & Nath, that he completely cracks up.From at first being a kind and gentle soul who wouldn't hurt a fly to a crazed out of control lunatic going so far as murdering his own sister Ellen.
But this one had totally escaped me, until just seeing on our PBS station's Saturday double feature of old, classic filmsAfter now seeing "The Red House," I rate it highly, like others commenting here, from a different point of view.I thought the teenage "love triangle" disliked by others, and though to detract from the plot, was an amusing, positive aspect of the film.Lon McCallister, while boyish, was nearly 24 when the film released, and a bit "long-in-tooth" for a high school lad.
could convey angst with a CAPITAL "A."Allene Roberts, a charming young actress, 18 then, was age- appropriate, as Meg, Pete's and Ellen's ward and surrogate "daughter." She also seemed to have had a few more meals than Lon and Julie.There was also some 1947 naughtiness in Edward G.'s thoughts about this young lady - perhaps somewhat due to transference (revealed in final revelations of the film), but his demeanor, much of the dialog, and certainly his "look," left no doubt that his thoughts and desires were assuredly more than "fatherly." Early in the film Edward G./Pete and sister Judith/Ellen are talking, and Pete laments the fact that he had lost his true love to some obvious cad who was able to become the best dancer, while he (Pete) had to work.
His performance reminds me a great deal of the psychotic sea-captain that he played in "The Sea Wolf", only, despite his character's flaws in this film, you can still sympathize with him, as he basically means well, and is more haunted than psychotic."The Red House" is competently directed by Delmer Daves, a director whose work I usually love, but I have to say, this is not Delmer Daves at his best.
An interesting note, however, is that the role of Tibby, the hot-blooded dame who competes with Meg for Naith's affections, is played by none other than Julie London, who, a few years later, would become known not as a famous actress, but as a very successful and legendary jazz singer.All in all, "The Red House" is a pretty good little thriller, and a darn good choice for some late-night viewing.
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.
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.
Julie London's character meets bad boy Rory Calhoun (in the earliest role I've seen him) and having been given rights to hunt on farm land by Robinson, he soon develops into a troublesome guy.
The Red House saw a melding of the two roles he was used to playing, with his portrayal of a farmer who has a dark side.To be honest, despite Robinson's good acting, I wasn't much impressed with the film.
Robinson and Anderson play a brother and sister who have adopted Roberts and have raised her as their own on their farm all the time concealing a dark secret that lays hidden in the red house beyond the woods.
Robinson and Anderson play a brother and sister who have adopted Roberts and have raised her as their own on their farm all the time concealing a dark secret that lays hidden in the red house beyond the woods.
The first think that puzzles the viewer is the film location:set out in the sticks,which was unusual for the late forties -which in fact is almost always unusual-.When Jacques Becker released "Goupi Main Rouges" ,a French classic of the early forties,it puzzled the audience for the same reason(and "Goupi Mains Rouges" had almost everything "Red House " had;and both movies mistrust the people from the country (and it was not over:see Boorman's "deliverance",not to mention "2,000 maniacs" or "the Texas chain saw massacre".The evil woods will later reappear in "the Blair witch project".That is to say "red house" cannot easily be dismissed.On the other hand the "psychoanalysis" side had grown stale and cheesy at the time.It came after Jack Tourneur's "cat people" Hitchcock's "spellbound" and most of all Lang 's "secret beyond the door"(woods=Lang's mysterious bedroom).The viewer can guess what happened a long long time ago and the final revelation is a damp squib.The more threatening,the more effective:Edward G Robinson 's performance is first-class,and he's matched every step of the way by Judith Anderson's excellent Ellen.The young ones are bland and undistinguished by comparison.Hats off to the black and -barely- white cinematography which is with Robinson the main asset of this work.0nce again,it will be "the Blair witch project" before a director use them in such a bewildering manner.Probably not really a classic,but worth a watch definitely..
Robinson, Judith Anderson and Julie London gave a fantastic performance which made this film an all time favorite.
Robinson) and his sister Ellen Morgan (Judith Anderson) have raised their adopted girl Meg (Allene Roberts).
His girlfriend Tibby (Julie London) isn't happy with him spending time at the farm with Meg. Pete warns Nath not to use a short cut near the red house but Nath ignores him.I'm not sure if I watched the best version of this movie.
There's a very creepy atmosphere in THE RED HOUSE and although the film is rather slow in getting its story started, beginning as it does in rustic daylight scenes, the mood soon changes--as does Miklos Rozsa's evocative background music--and we know we're in for a psychological suspense tale grounded in the usual film noir ingredients.Robinson is a man hiding a secret--and when he becomes violently upset when someone suggests taking a short cut through the woods near The Red House--it's only a matter of time before all the focus of the film becomes drawn to the house and whatever secrets it hides.
His daughter Meg (ALLENE ROBERTS) is attracted to a young man who comes to work on the farm (LON McCALLISTER) and it's he who first suggests taking a short cut.
Curiosity gets the best of the girl and her suitor and before long the story takes a number of unexpected twists and turns.JUDITH ANDERSON lends her impressive presence to the role of Robinson's wife and Rory Calhoun and Julie London (who later had quite a bit of success as a pop singer) are competent enough in supporting roles.But most of the credit for the success of the film in creating the proper mood goes to Robinson, who is excellent here, and to composer Miklos Rozsa who delivers a superb background score that heightens the melodrama..
That was just a great creative subtlety that worked amazingly well to establish Morgan's mental state.The film also works for the excellent characterizations of Judith Anderson as Pete's devoted sister Ellen, and Allene Roberts as their adopted daughter Meg. Meg becomes involved in a romantic triangle of sorts when she begins to fall for Nath Storm (Lon McCallister), who in the early story is going steady with the local glamor girl Tibby Renton (Julie London).
I certainly count him as one of the best ten actors working in USA.I must have been 15 when I have first seen THE RED HOUSE and, after all these yrs, it still does look like an awesome movie to me, a suspenseful melodrama bordering on horror, with Robinson in an advantageous and convenient role.
Edward G Robinson gives an excellent performance in the lead role as reclusive farmer Pete Morgan who lives with his strangely devoted spinster sister (Judith Anderson, very good in a sympathetic role)and sweet young adopted daughter, the very wholesome 17 year old Meg (Allene Roberts, who is a direct cross between Teresa Wright and Cathy O'Donnell).
When Meg's high school crush Nath (nice but bland Lon McCallister) comes to do some after-school work, the dark secret of the "The Red House" is revealed, and Robinson's obsession with Meg, and a mysterious figure from the past, grows deeper.This rises above it's B movie origins largely because of Robinson's performance, and the strange, unsettling motivations of his character.
Director/Screenwriter Delmer Daves, who adapted George Agnew Chamberlain's novel for the screen, does a superb job of establishing the sombre mood and on-going sense of danger that make this movie both suspenseful and very compelling to watch.Teenage schoolgirl Meg (Allene Roberts) who was adopted as a 2-year-old by reclusive farmer Pete Morgan (Edward G Robinson) and his sister Ellen (Judith Anderson), recognises that age and disability are making it increasingly difficult for Pete to run the farm on his own and persuades him to hire her High School friend Nath Storm (Lon McCallister) to help out with some of the evening chores.
He's a tough, handsome but not very bright young guy who, as well as adding to the romantic complications by getting involved with Tibby, displays poor judgement when using his gun and unintentionally causes injuries to both Ellen and Meg.Despite all the problems they encounter, Nath and Meg's determination to uncover the secrets of Ox Head Wood and the haunted red house remain strong and eventually lead to Meg discovering the truth about her parents and the circumstances under which she was adopted by Pete and Ellen.In a particularly memorable performance, Edward G Robinson skilfully captures the various facets of Pete Morgan's character and makes the numerous transitions he goes through seem entirely credible.
Whether he's the kindly father-figure, the angry man who threatens anyone who doesn't obey his orders or the tormented, guilt-ridden and fearful guy who becomes mentally unstable, Robinson is never less than convincing.Judith Anderson is a strong presence throughout as Pete's devoted sister who gave up her own chances of happiness in order to support and protect her brother and Allene Roberts, Julie London and Rory Calhoun stand out amongst the very talented supporting cast."The Red House" has an intriguing plot, boasts some great acting performances and is notable for its eerie atmosphere which is greatly enhanced by Miklos Rozsa's fine score and Bert Glennon's top class cinematography..
So the young people, including another over-sexed girl -- Julie London -- begin to explore those woods...but everyone is scaring them away -- Robinson and his secret hired hand Rory Calhoun.
Every time gimpy farmer Pete (Robinson) hears 'red house' or talk about shortcuts through the woods, he goes all dark and sinister.
Robinson) and Ellen (Judith Anderson) might be man and wife, living with their daughter Meg (Allene Roberts).
The last tenth tells the audience what's behind his entreaties.Robinson lives with his sister, Judith Anderson, and their adopted daughter, Allene Roberts, in a comfortable house far from the village.
Edward Gee Robinson (EG) and his spooked sister Judith Anderson (Judy) live way outside of town off the dirt road by themselves except for teen girl Meg who they adopted a long time ago.