A looney in an insane asylum kicks off and leaves Robert Hardy his decrepit mansion. He quickly settles in and plans to spruce the place up. Meanwhile, a scheming doctor (Christopher Lee) and his sexy sister (Joan Collins) know there’s a bunch of loot stashed somewhere on the grounds. They plot to sneak around the property and make off with the money. That might prove difficult seeing how Hardy is slowly slipping in and out of the gruesome memories of the former inhabitant.
Directed by Don Sharp, Dark Places is a relatively dry British thriller. While it’s low on chills, it remains watchable throughout. In fact, the film actually gets better as it goes along and the twist ending is decent enough.
The reason it works as well as it does is thanks largely to the cast of old pros. Lee and Collins are quite good as the duo who are trying to pull the wool over Hardy’s eyes. Although Lee is top billed, his role is mostly a supporting one. His performance nevertheless is the chief reason to check it out. Collins is a treat to watch as the seductive maid who easily gets her hooks into Hardy. Herbert Lom also has a couple of fine moments as Hardy’s lawyer. Hardy himself manages to surprise while essaying a dual role.
Sharp does do a good job during the sequences when Hardy begins experiencing flashbacks of the previous owner of the house. The way he seamlessly weaves the past and present with some simple editing and camerawork is effective. These sequences kind of hammer home the fact that this is more of a supernaturally tinged soap opera than an out and out horror film. (Although the final reel has at least one memorable kill.)
In short, Dark Places is one of those “close, but not cigar” kinds of films. It has many ingredients for a great movie, but it never quite comes together. It may have worked better at half the length and/or as part of a horror anthology. Fans of the cast will no doubt be forgiving of its shortcomings.
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