History Main / OldDarkHouse

* Larry Blamire's ''DarkAndStormyNight'' is an intentional AffectionateParody of this genre with a couple of LampshadeHanging moments.

** As does the game it's based on.
*** The game KillDoctorLucky, which is inspired by Clue, also takes place in such a mansion.

[[AC:WesterAnimation]]

* Agatha Christie's ''AndThenThereWereNone'' took place on a mansion on an island, and the boat wasn't coming back for several days.

* Larry Blamire's ''DarkAndStormyNight'' is an intentional AffectionateParody of this genre with a couple of LampshadeHanging moments.

* ''BetrayalAtHouseOnTheHill'' takes place in one of these.
* This is a staple of ''ScoobyDoo'' and many of its imitators.

* Parodied by the play-within-a-play in TomStoppard's ''The Real Inspector Hound''.
* The Shrieking Shack and the Riddle manor in ''HarryPotter'.
* ''13 Dead End Drive'' is a board game with this as the set piece and the players as potential heirs trying to bump each other off.
* [[ChzoMythos 5 Days a Stranger]] takes place in one of these.
* The ''XXXHolic'' movie ''A Midsummer's Night Dream'' takes place in one of these. [[spoiler: Though the house itself is the one making the guests disappear.]]
* One of the Dark Brotherhood mission from ''Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion'' sends you to one of these, only ''you'' are the murderer. (Though it's possible to convince the guests to kill each other.)

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* 13 Dead End Drive is a board game with this as the set piece and the players as potential heirs trying to bump each other off.

* the XXXHolic movie ''A Midsummer's Night Dream'' takes place in one of these. [[spoiler: Though the house itself is the one making the guests disappear.]]
* One of the Dark Brotherhood mission from Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion sends you to one of these, only ''you'' are the murderer. (Though it's possible to convince the guests to kill each other.)
* TheBat, a 1926 movie is one of the older examples of this trope.
* MurderByDeath is one of these movies, only the guests are all pastiches of famous fictional detectives.

Expect many [[SecretPath passageways hidden]] [[BookcasePassage behind bookcases]], usually operated [[ShaggySearchTechnique by candlesticks]], [[PortraitPaintingPeephole portraits with removable eyes for spying]], and the ubiquitous [[DramaticThunder thunder and lightning]]. Almost inevitably all methods of communication with the [[ClosedCircle outside world]] -- especially telephones -- will have somehow ceased to function, if they ever existed at all. [[hottip:*:This was more [[JustifiedTrope plausible]] in the [[ChristieTime early 20th century]], when many old dwellings had not yet been fitted with telephones and service in general was commonly more apt to fail.]] You can also expect the lights to go out several times during the night. (Usually when it's least convenient.)

May or may not be [[HauntedHouse haunted]] or have some curse or be hiding a {{dark secret}}. If the mystery is set in Europe, this may be a [[HauntedCastle castle]] instead of a [[BigFancyHouse mansion]]. See also HauntedHouse, HauntedCastle which usually ''are'' haunted. In this trope, the mysterious poltergeist is more likely to be an [[ScoobyDooHoax elaborate hoax]]. ({{Or is it}}?)

May or may not be [[HauntedHouse haunted]] or have some curse or be hiding a {{dark secret}}. If the mystery is set in Europe, this may be a [[HauntedCastle castle]] instead of a [[BigFancyHouse mansion]]. See also HauntedHouse, HauntedCastle which usually ''are'' haunted. In this trope, the mysterious poltergeist is more likely to be an [[ScoobyDooHoax elaborate hoax]].

May or may not be [[HauntedHouse haunted]] or have some curse or be hiding a {{dark secret}}. If the mystery is set in Europe, this may be a [[HauntedCastle castle]] instead of a [[BigFancyHouse mansion]]. See also HauntedHouse, HauntedCastle which usually ''are'' haunted. In this trope, the mysterious antagonist is more likely to be a ScoobyDooHoax.

Expect many [[SecretPath passageways hidden]] [[BookcasePassage behind bookcases]], usually operated [[ShaggySearchTechnique by candlesticks]], [[PortraitPaintingPeephole portraits with removable eyes for spying]], and the ubiquitous [[DramaticThunder thunder and lightning]]. Almost inevitably all methods of communication with the outside world -- especially telephones -- will have somehow ceased to function, if they ever existed at all. [[hottip:*:This was more [[JustifiedTrope plausible]] in the [[ChristieTime early 20th century]], when many old dwellings had not yet been fitted with telephones and service in general was commonly more apt to fail.]] You can also expect the lights to go out several times during the night. (Usually when it's least convenient.)

May or may not be [[HauntedHouse haunted]] or have some curse or be hiding a {{dark secret}}. If the mystery is set in Europe, this may be a [[HauntedCastle castle]] instead of a [[BigFancyHouse mansion]]. See also HauntedHouse, HauntedCastle.

Expect many [[BookcasePassage passageways hidden behind bookcases]], [[PortraitPaintingPeephole portraits with removable eyes for spying]], and the ubiquitous [[DramaticThunder thunder and lightning]]. Almost inevitably all methods of communication with the outside world -- especially telephones -- will have somehow ceased to function, if they ever existed at all. [[hottip:*:This was more [[JustifiedTrope plausible]] in the [[ChristieTime early 20th century]], when many old dwellings had not yet been fitted with telephones and service in general was commonly more apt to fail.]] You can also expect the lights to go out several times during the night. (Usually when it's least convenient.)

May or may not be [[HauntedHouse haunted]] or have some curse or be hiding a dark secret. If the mystery is set in Europe, this may be a castle instead of a mansion.

You know that old, foreboding house up on the top of the hill, surrounded by thick forests, and accessible only by a single bridge that has a tendency to wash out during every rainstorm? Yeah, that one. Have you ever noticed that it always seems to attract eclectic groups of strangers who get invited for the reading of a will or a dinner party with a mysterious host? And why is it that the strangers keep getting killed off, one by one, during the night? It must be one of them doing it? But which?

You know that old, foreboding house up on the top of the hill, surrounded by thick forests, and accessible only by a single bridge that has a tendency to wash out during every rainstorm? Yeah, that one. Have you ever noticed that it always seems to attract eclectic groups of strangers who get invited for the reading of a will, or a dinner party with a mysterious host? And why is it that the strangers keep getting killed off, one by one, during the night? It must be one of them doing it? But which?

Expect many [[BookcasePassage passageways hidden behind bookcases]], [[PortraitPaintingPeephole portraits with removable eyes for spying]], and the ubiquitous [[DramaticThunder thunder and lightning]]. Almost inevitably all methods of communication with the outside world -- especially telephones -- will have somehow ceased to function, if they ever existed at all [[hottip:*:This was more [[JustifiedTrope plausible]] in the [[ChristieTime early 20th century]], when many old dwellings had not yet been fitted with telephones and service in general was commonly more apt to fail.]]

* 13DeadEndDrive is a board game with this as the set piece and the players as potential heirs trying to bump each other off.

Expect many [[BookcasePassage passageways hidden behind bookcases]], [[PortraitPaintingPeephole portraits with removable eyes for spying]], and the ubiquitous [[DramaticThunder thunder and lightning]]. Almost inevitably all methods of communication with the outside world -- especially telephones -- will somehow ceased have to function, if they ever existed at all [[hottip:*:This was more [[JustifiedTrope plausible]] in the [[ChristieTime early 20th century]], when many old dwellings had not yet been fitted with telephones and service in general was commonly more apt to fail.]]

Expect many [[BookcasePassage passageways hidden behind bookcases]], [[PortraitPaintingPeephole portraits with removable eyes for spying]], and the ubiquitous [[DramaticThunder thunder and lightning]]. Almost inevitably all methods of communication with the outside world -- especially telephones -- will have somehow ceased to function, if they ever existed at all [[hottip:*:This was more [[JustifiedTrope plausible]] in the [[ChristieTime early 20th century]], when many old dwellings had not yet been fitted with telephones and service in general was commonly more apt to fail.]]

Expect many [[BookcasePassage passageways hidden behind bookcases]], [[PortraitPaintingPeephole portraits with removable eyes for spying]], and the ubiquitous [[DramaticThunder thunder and lightning]].

A classic trope of, and a great set piece for, whodunnit murder mysteries.

* The 1932 movie ''TheOldDarkHouse'' (as well as the 1960s remake) is probably the TropeNamer.

* The old 1930s movie ''TheOldDarkHouse'' (as well as the 1960s remake) is probably the TropeNamer.

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