The Old Dark House and Vampir-Cuadecuc

Perhaps the defining haunted house film, the pre-Code The Old Dark House finds a group of travelers seeking shelter from the pounding rain in a creepy old mansion inhabited by the Femm family. You know what comes next… Directed by James Whale (Frankenstein) and featuring a stellar cast including Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart (Titanic), and the great Boris Karloff. (71 mins., 4K DCP)

Pere Portabella’s subversive Vampir-Cuadecuc is at once an exploration of the figure of the vampire as well as a devastating critique of Spain’s fascist dictator General Franco. The film includes making-of footage from the set of Jesús “Jess”  Franco’s 1970 cult film Count Dracula, starring Christopher Lee. (75  mins., DCP)