MovieChat Forums > The Shuttered Room (1968) Discussion > I think this movie sort of works

I think this movie sort of works


Most horror/thrillers were, thru the mid-'60s, mood piece/mystery films, and that's what this is.

I love the flavor of this picture, even if the script was perhaps a little lacking. But the execution was very competent (although the prologue scene seems stuck on and feels like it was shot by somebody else for a TV movie) from the montage-y windshield credits on.

Otherwise, the movie just sort of works. But then '60s thrillers just have something in them that's hard to define, and when the lead characters hop in a car and drive out to the boonies, the shrouded threats always seem believable somehow.

Another poster put it nicely when he said:

I wouldn't call The Shuttered Room a classic, but I think it's a terrific little film, and things that really impressed me upon seeing it again were the pleasure in seeing four super-fine performances (Young, Robson, but especially Lynley and Reed) again -- and also how I'd previously never consciously realized how extremely well-directed and photographed the film is. Just beautiful filmmaking. If anything, it's the writing that's the film's weak link, but the superlative casting, acting, direction and cinematography more than make up for that.


--
LBJ's mistress on JFK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcXeutDmuRA


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The script was a bit lacking, as you say.
Having seen this again yesterday, I still found it interesting. I hadn't seen this in years. I do have questions now that I am older....
What exactly was wrong with the girl? To me, the only thing that made her an unmanageable animal was locking the poor girl up in that room. Why did the family feel the need to lock her away? Why didn't they send the girl to a hospital or a sanitarium instead of sending Sussanah away?
These things weren't explained.

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I agree I enjoyed it quite a bit.

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Imo everything Reed did from 1964-1974 worked.

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