In de macht van het monster

Driving through a terrible rainstorm, Philip and Margaret Waverton (Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart) and their prankster friend, Penderel (Melvyn Douglas), suddenly find the road blocked by avalanches. Spying lights ahead, they hammer on the door of a creepy mansion, which is opened by the hideous, towering butler, Morgan (Boris Karloff). The house's inhabitants, Horace Femm (Ernest Thesiger), a funereal gentleman, and his shrill, mostly deaf sister, Rebecca (Eva Moore), provide a cold welcome. The situation gets spooky when fanatical Rebecca tells Margaret about the death of her "wicked" 21-year-old sister, and Horace warns the guests about Morgan's impending drunken violence. Some levity is provided by the arrival of two more windblown travelers--the boisterous Sir William Porterhouse (Charles Laughton) and his chorus girl companion, Gladys (Lillian Bond). The five hapless guests must band together to fight the increasingly violent and supernatural happenings and to discover what lurks behind the padlocked door on the landing. (officiële tekst van distribiteur)