The Old Dark House

The Old Dark House is a lesser-known, 1932 Universal Horror film that is considered a man for influence on the structure of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.The film was directed by James Whale, starring Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart, Raymond Massey, and Ernest Thesige, and was filmed at Oakley Court, the same location Rocky Horror was shot.

Like Rocky Horror, the film involves a couple (Massey and Stuart) that get lost while driving at night in a heavy storm, and seek refuge in a remote castle where they meet a strange family and their butler (Karloff) and other visitors to the house, including a chorus girl. Overnight debauchery, a dinner scene and other story beats seem to be direct influences on the Rocky Horror Picture Show's plotline.