The Red House (1947)

The Red House At Noir City D.C.

This 1947 movie, "The Red House", was featured at the annual Noir City, D.C. film festival, but, as it is in the public domain, I opted to watch it online instead. The film is set in a small, rural American community which at first is portrayed in an almost idyllic setting. As might be expected, this quickly changes. My first response was that this movie is more in the horror genre than in film noir. However, I have learned over the years that noir is as much a style as a particular genre. The film has strong noir components in the sense of introspection and guilt in the main character, Pete Morgan, portrayed convincingly by Edward G. Robinson. Labels for films are of secondary importance.

Pete Morgan lives on a large farm removed from the town with his sister Ellen (Judith Anderson) and their adopted teenage daughter Meg (Aleen Roberts). Incestuous innuendos involving Pete and both Ellen and Meg and other sexual themes pervade this movie. An adolescent male friend of Meg, Nath, comes to the farm to work. Nath is the wholesome type, but he is dating a young woman, Tibby, (Julie London) who is anything but. The situation sets up potential fireworks between Meg and Tibby and this expectation is not disappointed. Nath's property includes a large wooded area with few roads. He warns Nath, who at first is only innocently curious, and Meg, who has been the good girl, not to go into the woods. The warnings pick up force as the movie develops, but, alas it is not to be. There are dark, dirty secrets in the woods, centering on a red house in their midst, from Pete's past. These secrets have continued to haunt his life.

With the noir components, "The Red House" has a genuine feeling of horror. At first, Pete's fear of the woods seems to verge on the supernatural or superstitious. But as the movie develops, the fear has an all-too-naturalistic basis, especially given some modest understanding of psychology. The film is, in fact, tautly done, with the cinematography and Robinson's acting, and becomes genuinely frightening as it proceeds. Without ghosts, goblins, or witches, this film might be as appropriate for a horror film festival, or for an odd Halloween festival, as for film noir. It is the stuff of nightmares. The underlying issues in the film are tangled and sexual which lead to bad endings for most of the older characters but a sense of hope for the young.

I saw several movies in a beautiful theater at the Noir City, D.C. festival but opted to pass on "The Red House". The movie didn't work for me as noir as effectively as the films I saw. Still, I am glad that the festival called the film to my attention and gave me the opportunity to watch it. "The Red House" grabbed me viscerally.

Robin Friedman