Malpertuis (film)
A sailor trapped in a labyrinthine mansion of myth and madness.
Malpertuis (released in the United States as The Legend of Doom House) is a 1972 fantasy horror film directed by Harry Kümel. It is based on the 1943 novel of the same name by Jean Ray and stars Orson Welles, Susan Hampshire, Michel Bouquet, Mathieu Carrière, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Daniel Pilon, and Sylvie Vartan. The film follows a young sailor who returns to land and finds himself trapped in his family's isolated labyrinthine estate, where he and his relatives enact roles from Greek mythology under the control of his occultist uncle.
- runtime
- 95 minutes (Cannes cut); 124 minutes (director's cut)
- festival
- Screened out of competition at 1972 Cannes Film Festival
Quick Facts
- Director
- Harry Kümel
- Producer
- Paul Laffargue / Ritta Laffargue / Pierre Levie
- Writer
- Jean Ferry
- Based On
- Malpertuis · Jean Ray
- Starring
- Orson Welles / Susan Hampshire / Michel Bouquet / Mathieu Carrière / Jean-Pierre Cassel / Daniel Pilon / Sylvie Vartan
- Music
- Georges Delerue
- Cinematography
- Gerry Fisher
- Editing
- Richard Marden
- Studio
- Artemis Film · Les Productions Artistes Associés
- Distributor
- Premier Releasing · United ArtistsTuska · 1991 · page=387
- Released
- df=yes · 1972 · 05 · 10 · ref1= · Cannes · 1972 · 09 · 17 · Stratford International Film Festival · ref2=
- Runtime
- 119 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Principal photography of Malpertuis began in Belgium on 1 December 1971. The film premiered at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival in a truncated 95-minute cut edited at the request of its distributor, United Artists, and was screened out of competition. It later screened at the 1972 Stratford Film Festival (now the Toronto International Film Festival) on 17 September 1972. The Royal Belgian Film Archive, together with director Harry Kümel, restored the uncut Flemish version, which was released in 1973 as the director's cut, running 124 minutes. However, the original voice of Orson Welles is missing from this version.
Reader's Guide
Malpertuis is significant as a cult fantasy horror film that blends Greek mythology with a Gothic family drama. Its complex, dreamlike narrative and labyrinthine setting have drawn comparisons to surrealist cinema. The film's troubled release history—with multiple cuts and a restored director's version—highlights the tension between artistic vision and distributor demands. The 2025 Blu-ray release by Radiance Films, featuring a new 4K restoration supervised by the Royal Belgian Film Archive, ensures the film's preservation and accessibility. Critics have described it as bizarre, lurid, and baffling, yet also ragged and dizzy, reflecting its polarizing nature. Its inclusion in the official selection at Cannes underscores its place in European genre cinema.
Did You Know?
- The film was screened out of competition at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival.
- The director's cut, released in 1973, is 29 minutes longer than the Cannes cut but lacks Orson Welles's original voice.
- Principal photography began in Belgium on 1 December 1971.
- The film was released on DVD by Barrel Entertainment on 24 July 2007, featuring both the truncated English-language cut and the director's cut.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Malpertuis (film)?
It is a 1972 Belgian fantasy-horror film directed by Harry Kümel, adapted from Jean Ray's 1943 novel of the same name. American audiences saw it under the title *The Legend of Doom House*.
Who is in the cast of Malpertuis (film)?
Orson Welles plays the controlling occultist uncle, joined by Susan Hampshire, Michel Bouquet, Mathieu Carrière, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Daniel Pilon, and Sylvie Vartan. The narrative centers on a young sailor who becomes trapped in his family's remote, labyrinthine estate.
What is the plot of Malpertuis (film)?
A sailor returns to shore only to discover he is locked inside his family's sprawling mansion, where his relatives are compelled to inhabit roles drawn from Greek mythology. His occultist uncle keeps the household in a perpetual, mythic performance, blurring the line between reality and ancient legend.
How long is Malpertuis (film) and why are there two runtimes?
The cut screened out of competition at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival runs 95 minutes, whereas the director's cut stretches to 124 minutes. Fans frequently specify which version they mean because the extra material in the longer cut substantially changes the pacing and tone.
Why is Malpertuis (film) considered significant in Belgian cinema?
It is one of the most celebrated examples of Belgian genre filmmaking, a country rarely associated with horror, and it earned an out-of-competition slot at Cannes. The film also marks a notable late-career European collaboration for Orson Welles and serves as a cinematic adaptation of a cornerstone of Belgian literature.
More in Belgian horror films 1-24
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