Red House Over Yonder

Edward G. Robinson is famous as a gangster, but he had a lot more roles than that. Like The Red House (1947), a horror movie.

It starts by describing a small rural town as full of twisty roads that lead to deadends, and farms where families keep to themselves. But these days, it just a normal country town. (It looks like California, of course.) The school bus is dropping kids off. Julie London (the singer, but as a high school girl) is inviting Lon McAllister to go swimming, just the two of them - and they can change at the lake. But first he has to help out Allene Roberts. She lives on a lonely farm with her adoptive father (Robinson) and mother. They are considered reclusive by the townspeople, but welcome him warmly and feed him well. Robinson has an artificial leg, and Robertswants him to hire McAllister to help out. Since his widowed mom isn't making much with the general store she runs, he could use the money.

It all goes fine until McAllister decides to take a shortcut home through the woods. Robinson tells him it's dangerous and gets more and more anxious to keep him from going through. He might stumble upon the Red House - which would be bad for reasons he won't explain. McAllister goes anyway, but gets spooked and heads back, and winds up sleeping in the barn.

The next time he comes, he's determined to make it. He comes to Robinson's place through the woods to work out the route. He heads home that way again against Robinson's wishes. But this time, he's conled over the head. Turns out that Robinson has let local layabout Rory Calhoun hunt the woods if he keeps everyone else out.

Roberts and McAllister start getting curious, and start combing the woods for the Red House, along with London. It's getting pretty plain that Roberts is actually trying to steal McAllister away from London (whose character has the ridiculous name of Tibby). But when London makes McAllister take her out, Roberts goes house hunting herself.

Calhoun spots her, thinking it's McAllister and starts shooting at her - aiming to miss, but getting too close. Roberts falls and breaks her leg. This really gets to Robinson. It seems he lost his leg in the woods, something about the Red House, or the ice house. He starts acting strange, calling Roberts "Jeannie", her mother's name. When Roberts' leg heals, everything comes to a head.

As horror goes, this is mild enough. But as a thriller, it's great. The cast is solid, the setting beautiful and creepy when it needs to be. And Robinson is charming and sweet, until he isn't anymore. Director Delmer Daves did all right.