The Old Dark House, 1932

Perhaps one of the “gayest films of its decade” (Crucchiola, 2018), The Old Dark House isn’t very gay by today’s standards. Famous, known gay director of the time, James Whale, was only able to hint at controversial topics such as androgyny and sexual deviancy. Most notably, a woman in the film wears men’s shoes, and the famously campy actor Ernest Thesiger plays one of the Femm ;) siblings that inhabit a creepy old house. This isn’t particularly racy stuff, but The Old Dark House is still considered a classic in gothic horror and a cult gem, which many believe to be one of the best horror films of all time. My thoughts on the film mirror that of the initial American reception, which found it rather dry and boring. However, The Old Dark House broke records in theaters in London. Whale brought to this film what he brought to many of his other films (see The Bride of Frankenstein), characters perceived as outsiders who have somewhat of a gay sensibility. From films of this time, we’ll take any droplets of queerness we can get!