Dungeon of Harrow

Looking back on The Dungeon of Harrow I still say it should have been at least a decent movie. I'm having a hard time putting my finger on exactly why it doesn't work, but it reeks.

Mr. Fallon, who is of noble birth, finds himself shipwrecked with only the captain of the ship surviving along with him. Initially the place appears to be devoid of life, but they eventually learn that this island is actually inhabited. The Count De Sade lives here, a practically solitary life. His wife was a leper, and because he would not be separated from her he exiled himself. As leprosy will do it took it's toll on the countess.

Now the Count is descending into insanity. Though he treats Fallon well, thanks to the visitor's nobility, he thinks the shipwrecked captain is a pirate and tries to torture information out of the already injured man. Fallon's only hope is to convince some of the Count's servants to help him and crack the secrets of the household.

The first downfall is weak acting. This might not be so bad if the movie didn't take itself so seriously, but this kind of dramatic presentation can't survive without a decent cast. I mean, I've seen worse, but it wasn't good enough to carry such a slow-moving plot.

Fallon is narrating the story. A little bit of narration might be fine, but this is far too much especially considering that it's so poorly delivered.

It does help that it has really poor effects. The minis look glaringly like minis, and the lightning looks faked. Again, this is made worse by the movie taking itself so seriously.

All that comes along with a jumpy flow. A number of the cuts are weird and jarring. The bad editing and uneven story left me with a feeling that I was missing parts of the plot perhaps lost to an edit someone failed to pay enough attention to.

Ultimately it ends up being a forgettable piece of cinema. It's a waste of time which is unfortunate because the plot and filing locations show promise.

MORALITY:

Violence is the main concern here, but even that is tame. There is a bloody corpse and the suggestion of torture. Some of the concepts are dark but not powerful enough to really be disturbing.

There is no notable sexuality and no nudity.

Strong language is mild.

SPIRITUALITY:

We're dealing with the insanity of men without any real spiritual elements to it.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

This film does have some followers so I guess the style and mood appeal to some. I wanted to like it but just couldn't get into it thanks to all of the poor elements. Avoid it unless you have a strong interest in the director or old, underground horror.

#DungeonofHarrow