Review of Dragonwyck (1946) by Blake P — 02 Feb 2012

Miranda (Tierney) is a country girl who is overjoyed by the fact that she gets to work at the notorious Nicholas Van Ryn's (Price) mansion as a servant in the 1800's. Just soon after she starts, Nicholas becomes quite obsessed with her, and soon enough they get married.

As the two actually get to know each other though, Miranda learns some pretty sinister secrets about her husband-- some of which are scarier than she would ever imagine. "Dragonwyck" is a stylishly done gothic thriller mystery that has moments of genuine beauty and suspense, but unfortunately has too many unintentionally funny moments for its own good.

Filmed when legendary director Joseph L. Mankiewicz and cult actor Vincent Price were just getting big, "Dragonwyck" is definitely not a film that I would show if someone were to ask what their best movies are.

Though I did enjoy this film, it's just too hard to take it seriously. Mankiewicz achieves a creepy atmosphere perfectly, but it's just another case of style over substance. Obviously the cinematography and even the score were put on higher ground than the script, which is so bad that we get to hear the treat of Gene Tierney yelping "golly", which can't be pulled off by someone as classy as her.

And with Price's funny performance, the film becomes even more campy, which really doesn't help it so much. On the plus side, Walter Huston does give a very good performance, and the cinematography creates some serious eye candy, but other than that, "Dragonwyck" is a forgettable thriller that barely even gets three stars from me.