NOT a horror film
I love this movie, but for Fox to market it on DVD as a horror film is to completely mislead the public. Gothic, yes. Horror , no.
shareHahahaha I agree. It is in no way, shape, or form Horror.
~REaceofclubs
MovieChat Forums > Dragonwyck (1946) Discussion > NOT a horror film
Gotta agree - Gothic, Gothic, Gothic.
"...truth against the world..." - attributed to Boudicca of the Iceni
And the majority of the major gothic (and psycho) films share connections to the horror genre. As does Dragonwyck mostly just for the atmosphere. It may not be a horror film, but still horror-related.
shareI think I see your point: there is a ghostly air about the place, which is often felt in "Rebecca" as well.
The legend of the first patroon's wife Azilde and her tragic suicide and the legend that her laughter can be heard in the mansion when something evil is about to happen. Not to mention that her harpsichord music can also be heard at times.
I think that it is those unseen elements which can give the flavor of horror to the film, Oddark, and I'm going to agree with you. And also, thank you for your post, which made me rethink the film and the book like this.
English MA: Symbolism's my life. "Truth vs the world" - Boudicca of the Iceni
Dragonwyck is very much a horror film in the sense that Oddark and ritamilo outlined above. And what is horror anyway? Not in the Hollywood sense but in the Gothic romance sense (which is what Dragonwyck is) or the old world sense? Horror is not just monsters like the Wolf Man or Frankenstein's Monster running around, nor the slasher psycho killers like Freddy and Jason. Horror in the sense of Dragonwycke (and its time) are the idea of a man murdering his wife and planning to murder his second wife, or the idea of a woman who committed suicide now haunting her blood relations to madness. Indeed, back in those times, just suicide alone was horrific in the sense that those who commit it are bound for Hell (or the mental asylum if their attempt fails). And lastly, drug addiction was especially horrific and would make anyone who fell under it a societal pariah and outcast. In the societal world of those times, all these things were enough to be pure horror in the context of any story, so Dragonwyck fits the bill of horror nicely, as does its much younger relation (and the story on which Anya Seton modeled her novel) Jane Eyre. What fabulous books and movies these are.
http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Shaw/e/B0077EBQWI/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?q id=1329846290&sr=8-1
That's a very good point too. With context like that the argument becomes much stronger.
And honestly as far as creepy scenes for horror goes, i've always thought Nicholas going to the harpsichord in this movie has to be one of my favorite. I love the way it's played out in this film a lot.
Gamefaqs has a far worse population than IMDB
I would describe DRAGONWYCK as a mystery thriller. But it is of interest to Horror fans. I am a collector of Vincent Price's genre films and I think a lot of Vincent Price collectors would want this. It is not strictly horror but cross-genre. MGM know their market even if they are not strictly honest in their labels.
shareWhat people call a horror film today is so different from what they called a horror film decades ago. By the standards of the day, DRAGONWYCK indeed had elements of what was considered "horror" in 1945 --- and thru the mid-'60s.
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The most profound of sin is tragedy unremembered.
Gothic melodrama/period Gothic romance.
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» nec spe,nec metu •´¯`» The Amazing Gene Tierney: http://i.imgbox.com/W71wzNvU.gif share
Agreed - 7.5
"She let me go."
~White Oleander