The Shuttered Room (1967)

The Shuttered Room (1967), dir. David Greene, Troy-Schneck Productions


Moving into a slightly controversial area, as more than a few Lovecraft scholars don't consider the 1959 tale to truly written by Lovecraft, crediting it to Arkham House founder August Derleth under Lovecraft's name. For the film tonight it's irrelevant as the film has nothing in common except for the name.


We open with a Point of View shot. Something is lurking inside an old house and it's movement awaken a small girl, sending her into hysterics. The girl's parents rush in, mumbling something about 'forgetting to lock the door' and drag the unseen visitor into an attic clearly designed to keep something from getting out.


Some years later, the little girl has grow in the 21 year old Susannah Kelton (Carol Lynley). Her age is important, as it is time for her to claim her inheritance: namely an old mill and some surrounding property. Her husband Mike (Gig Young) seems delighted by the idea of a summer house, but there's catch. The house is situated on Dunwich Island, a blasted hunk of rock some miles off the coast of Massachusetts.


There's also the problem with the locals, in that they hate all outsiders. Zebulon Whatley (William Devlin) conveys this to the Keltons and tells them the Whatley Mill is considered haunted. Ethan Whatley (Oliver Reed) is a lecherous hooligan as as well as Susannah's cousin. His hate for the Kelton's is matched by his lust for his cousin.

Ethan's mother and Susannah's aunt Agatha (Flora Robson) is friendlier than the others, although not by much. Like Zebulon she tells the Kelton's that the mill is a cursed place and nothing good can come of it. Ethan and his ne'er-do-well buddies, on the other hand, see Susannah as fresh meat or at least something to do between being dragged behind a truck for fun.

So, what of the Shuttered Room? It doesn't play into the story until the end. Until that, it's less Lovecraft and more Straw Dogs.  The Keltons are your typical outsiders and Reed plays Ethan as boiling over with resentment at everything within sight.

Mike, who is nearly 30 years older than his wife and looks it, basically stomps around and throws his money around, seemingly not caring who he offends. Susannah is such a non entity it's easy to confuse her with the furniture.