There were a lot of creepy things in this movie, but those photographs (Mrs. Allerdyce's collection), were just plain eerie! I don't know if they were created for this movie or one of Dan Curtis' associates sought out to look for some authentic old and strange looking pictures. And of course, no one is smiling in these pics (the chauffeur did all of the smiling!).
shareI couldn't agree more. Watching the movie right now and those pictures are so creepy! They give such a feeling of dread, of something just not being right with the house.
Can you hear me?....They did this
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All the people in those pictures either look depressed or scared. They all emitted this gloomy and somber tone.
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I too noticed how nobody is smiling. But then again, I've seen some very, very old pictures of my wife's family, and nobody is smiling in those, either. I'm told it wasn't the style to smile in pictures back then.
Even so, that bureau full of pictures is unsettling. You notice Davy, Ben and Elizabeth aren't smiling either.
The pictures were probably created for the movie. According to the commentary by Dan Curtis, the picture right next to Davey is that of Curtis himself.
shareACTUALLY, I was told by a professional photographer years ago that the moody looks in old-day photos around the turn of the century were due to this:
Back in the old days, photos had to be taken outside on an overcast day to ensure proper exposure. And people had to stand still. All this naturally made people moody and resulted in a lack of positive energy. I mean, who wants to be standing still outside when it looks like rain? And top that with the lack of convenience like we have now (stores, computers, cars, electricity), people weren't all that thrilled in general.
ACTUALLY, I was told by a professional photographer years ago that the moody looks in old-day photos around the turn of the century were due to this:
Back in the old days, photos had to be taken outside on an overcast day to ensure proper exposure. And people had to stand still. All this naturally made people moody and resulted in a lack of positive energy. I mean, who wants to be standing still outside when it looks like rain? And top that with the lack of convenience like we have now (stores, computers, cars, electricity), people weren't all that thrilled in general.
I didn't like "A Million Ways to Die in the West," but one of their running jokes throughout the film was why nobody ever ever smiled in this old fashioned pictures. Makes sense.
shareI'm told it wasn't the style to smile in pictures back then.
I remember seeing the movie on TV when I was around 10 or so and thinking the people, through the ages, all look like they were terrified. It made sense that the final shot of the family looked equally distressed.
Side note: It's well known that the same house was used for Phantasm just few years after this came out. I would have loved the see Jodie wandering the halls and seeing the limo driver drift past.
That's the correct reason: with the looong time it took for the right amount of light to be exposed to the shot nobody could keep a smile that long (it could take like an hour)
shareThe real reason they didn't smile was because they had bad (or no) teeth!😁😁😁
Only the suppressed word is dangerous.
Ludwig Borne