TORIES SET IN SPOOKY OLD HOUSES are one of the longest traditions in horror cinema – offering perhaps the perfect mix of familiar objects in an unfamiliar
space, triggering a kind of electric suspense that’s perfect for exploitation by crafty filmmakers. And the tradition is still extremely healthy; look at The Woman in Black’s Eel Marsh House or even the decrepit manor in Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s Livid, which takes the house-as-person idea to extraordi- nary lengths. As a horror film setting, the role of the dwelling has evolved considerably over the last cen- tury, changing from the classic eerie Old Dark House where disguised criminal masterminds with sinister motives were lurking, to the more modern take where the buildings themselves become the source of evil. But long before seemingly every decaying manor
was outfitted with a basement operating table and rusty surgical tools, all the hapless heiresses and dopey DAs of classic Old Dark House movies had to worry about was a phantom hand emerging from be- hind a wall panel or a mysterious crashing chandelier or two. This approach may seem tame compared to contemporary big-screen shockers – a painted por- trait with moving eyes is nothing compared to the murderous entity in the Paranormal Activity films – but that emphasis on mystery over carnage has made the Old Dark House subgenre one of the most enticing gateways for younger viewers who can imme- diately recognize the pure macabre fun that makes up the foundation of these classic early entries. For me, American Interna- tional Pictures’ 1959 trifle Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow was the film that tipped the scale, presenting the genre’s mouldiest clichés in such an infectious way that it brought me far deeper into the labyrinth of horror than Frankenstein or his Universal pals ever managed. Perhaps it was meant to be. In my younger days, I
was entranced by the possibilities of the Old Dark House, voraciously reading Hardy Boys books about discovering secret passages behind grandfather
clocks and loving every minute of watching Shaggy and Scooby-Doo uncover smugglers who used hid- den projectors to make spooky old inns seem over- run with ghosts. Even then, I knew that Old Dark Houses presented a world of exciting secrets hiding just underneath mundane everyday reality, the chance to uncover forbid- den places where you could follow your own instincts far away from the prying eyes of adults. Casually connecting the dots be-
tween The Cat and the Canary (1927) and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? (1969), Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow starts out much like a typical hot rod film before it veers sharply into Old Dark House territory. A group of squeaky clean teens discover that they could lose their car club’s garage due to disapproving parents and overly judgmental authority figures.
Enter eccentric Aunt Anastasia (Dorothy Neumann), who agrees to let the kids convert her old mansion into a clubhouse, provided they can get rid of the res- ident spook. They spend a frightful night complete with clutching hands, secret fireplace passageways and creepy wails from behind the wall. When they decide a rockin’ Halloween dance might flush out the
bad spirits, they discover AIP’s real-life monster- maker and FX artist Paul Blaisdell, clad conspicu- ously in the costume he created for The She-Creature (1956), trying to scare outsiders away from his lonely monster-themed pity party. No one could confuse a double-feature bottom-
feeder such as Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (currently available as a Midnite Movie from MGM, along with Ghost in the Invisible Bikini) with a good – or even scary – film, but it’s still surprisingly successful, wrapping up the bare essence of Old Dark House ap- peal in a ’50s teen culture of custom cars, monster movies, malt shops, crazy slang and blazing rock ’n’ roll instrumentals. The film is more than just a fun and goofy take on the genre, though. It’s also an eas- ily accessible portal to cinematic horror for anyone willing to move beyond the familiar monster movie landmarks. Before younger viewers are ready to ven- ture into any bedroom plagued by paranormal activ- ity, The Evil Dead cabin, the Overlook Hotel or even Hell House, Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow presents the unique Old Dark House trappings in a decidedly re- latable way but without directly pandering to kids. And even though boundaries were made to be pushed, decidedly safe horror films like this one are important, because no matter how adult and sophis- ticated the genre gets, younger fans still need road markers to get them there.