Rating: 1.5/5
Hooptober 6.0 | 6/32 | film from before 1966 6/6
In Old Scotland, a horse-drawn carriage ambles along a muddied dirt road through an empty field, save for a farmhouse down the way. Yep, that’s a horse-drawn carriage. After a minute of watching the carriage, it stops at the Rooster Inn. The coachman can tend to the horses, and the riders can grab a bite.
Jenkins, Mary, and Fred order hot food. Inn patrons wonder why Americans are in the country.
The restaurant goes quiet as Inspector Wright and a police officer enter. Betty, their server, tells the group that the police are looking for a leper named Quick, who escaped from the leper colony. Quick was a friend of Sir Reginald, the owner of the Nofis Castle before Sir Reginald died.
Through talking with Betty, they all determine that they are going to Nofis Castle for the reading of Sir Reginald’s will. Sir Reginald lay in the family crypt, in the seventh grave. The police did not perform an autopsy.
You’ll notice the similarities if you are familiar with The Cat and The Canary. This story is essentially the same, with few changes. The primary difference is an escaped leper instead of an escaped murderer.
The movie is slow and poorly filmed but has a consistent atmosphere and decent performances.
While this movie isn’t great, I’m happy when any movie receives a restoration and becomes more widely available. Groups like Arrow, Severin, and Vinegar Syndrome are performing a tremendous service to movie history.