House by the River

Play trailer

House by the River

1950

1h 28m

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

A man (Louis Hayward) kills his maid and dumps her in the river with his brother (Lee Bowman).

Helen Bower

Detroit Free Press

The whole picture has been hammed up until it would be funny if it wasn't so unbearably dull.

Sep 14, 2021

Full Review

Michael Atkinson

Village Voice

Its 85 minutes stuffed with shadowy menace, odd magical-realisms (what is it with the jumping fish?), and effortless tension, House by the River is quintessential Lang.

Oct 15, 2014

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

House by the River is a fair mystery which lacks sufficient plot twists and suspense.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Justine Smith

Vague Visages

In House by the River, Lang frames the narrative of the perfect murder around wealth and privilege, rather than outright cleverness. Stephen’s social standing becomes the only thing that protects him from accusations...

Jun 5, 2024

Full Review

David Parkinson

Radio Times

Making moody use of light and shade, Lang ingeniously involves us more deeply than the plot merits. For all that, it's still very much a B-movie.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 15, 2014

Full Review

TV Guide

While House By the River is, at least, a typically interesting Lang film, it suffers from a weak script and uninspired performances that even the director's moody visuals have trouble saving.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 15, 2014

Full Review

Read all reviews

g j

The horror elements and general visuals of the river are great... but the film noir sections are extremely dull and are a marathon to sit through.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/20/24

Full Review

nick s

The acting was sumptuous and the directing/pacing spot on. I quite like the simpler plots that are real page turners. The slowly building trap created tension the whole way through. Just a shame they were never allowed to let the antagonist win.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/24

Full Review

william k

More goth than noir this simple thriller has good atmosphere and Lang's good sense for small details, suspenseful and fascinating although the finale drifts a bit off the top.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

good Republic studios melodrama

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

this might me my least favorite movie by fritz lang so far

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Fritz Lang worked his magic and created a piece of work that a big budget film would envy!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Fritz Lang

Director

Louis Hayward

Stephen Byrne

Jane Wyatt

Marjorie Byrne

Lee Bowman

John Byrne

Dorothy Patrick

Emily Gaunt

Ann Shoemaker

Mrs. Ambrose

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

View more photos

Synopsis

A man (Louis Hayward) kills his maid and dumps her in the river with his brother (Lee Bowman).

Director: Fritz Lang
Producer: Howard Welsch
Production Co: Fidelity Pictures Corporation
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 9, 2017
Runtime: 1h 28m