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11 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Cast no shadow, and don't look into the mirror, 9 November 2005
Author: Rafter-man from Vancouver, BC Canada

Weekend visitors to a country inn soon realise that things are not as they seem. For one thing, the newspapers are all a year old. (If you think that is bad, go to Saskatchewan. In the some of the motels I have had to stay in on the prairies, they were still playing the original Star Trek reruns in the 1990's).

But the proprietors at the Halfway House don't seem to cast a shadow, or a reflection in the mirror. This is where people go before they go, if you know what I mean.

The movie was set in wartime Britain. Every family was grieving from the loss of a loved one, and these sentimental movies were made to ease the pain. It was a peaceful little flick, with no pretensions, and a B cast to read the script. Good Luck finding it on VHS.

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9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
A sweet little ghost story., 20 April 2007
8/10
Author: silvrdal from OKC

Never having been a fan of the concept of the dead returning to advise the living, I was none-the-less pleased with this charming film. The tragedies that occur during war-time can often be treated as 'due course' by most of us, but we are not usually those who have suffered a loss. Like many stories involving benevolent ghosts or angels, the supernatural beings are metaphors for the hand of God in the lives of the living, seeking to influence them along a better path than that which they currently pursue.

'Halfway House' is a kind-hearted, quirky little film, with talented character performances. Sally Ann Howes, the gifted musical actress, plays an early role as the daughter of an estranged couple heading for divorce. Her performance was amusing and poignant, as she tries to think of ways to get her parents back together. Françoise Rosay's character desperately attempts spiritualism, trying to contact her only son who has died in the war. They, and the other guests at a ghostly Welsh inn, seem to take a somewhat 'oh, well, so that's it' attitude toward their dearly-departed innkeepers, which makes the film that much more appealing. 'Halfway House' is exactly what it was intended to be, a comfort and a lesson.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
The end or the beginning?, 26 August 2008
8/10
Author: JohnRouseMerriottChard from United Kingdom

Britain, World War II.

A symphony conductor who has a few months to live.

A war profiteer.

A husband and wife coming to the end of their marriage, their daughter desperate to keep them together.

An elderly couple conflicted over the death of their son in the line of duty.

All of them wind up together at the Halfway House, a beautiful, yet strange Welsh country inn. Their hosts are Rhys and Gwyneth, the place appears to be stuck in a time warp, all the visitors here are here for a reason, a reason that will changed all their respective lives for ever.

Based on the Denis Ogden play, The Halfway House is brought to us from the wonderful Ealing Studios, it is, all things considered, an under seen gem from that particular Studio. There really is no great surprises as regards how the film unfolds, the makers, by way of Mervyn Johns first appearance, are not trying to bluff the viewer in any way, this is a halfway house after all!!!!. What drives the picture on is the unflinching stubbornness of the characters, despite the overwhelming evidence available to them, they all refuse to accept the mysterious hammer hitting them over the head. This makes the film a highly enjoyable piece, the mixture of comedy and mystery going hand in hand with it's fantasy led core, come the final reel the viewers should be in a state of warmth because in my honest opinion the film has undoubtedly done its job.

It's one of those films that wouldn't be out of place on Rod Serling's Twilight Zone show that aired some 15 years later, so enjoy the fantasy and the mystery unfolding, The Halfway House is a lovely little picture. 8/10

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Good, 3 October 2009
7/10
Author: Alex da Silva from United Kingdom

A random group of characters go to the Halfway House in Wales to get away from the pressures of their daily lives. The innkeeper Rhys (Mervyn Johns) and his daughter Gwyneth (Glynis Johns) are on hand to greet the guests and give them advice. However, they don't seem to have reflections, they don't have shadows and they are living 1 year in the past - the calendar, the newspapers and radio broadcasts are out of date and the guest book hasn't been signed for a year. Who are the mysterious owners and what fate awaits the guests....? The acting from some of the cast seems a bit stiff at times but the film keeps you watching. I like the more touching scenes, for instance, when Glynis Johns talks to the conductor David Davies (Esmond Knight) in the kitchen and tells him to come over to her "side", and the moment when they agree to see each other the next morning, knowing the fate of the inn. Captain Harry Meadows (Tom Walls) also has an impressive character transformation through the course of the film. It is a film with a mixture of strange incidents and it has a good ending. "Yea though I walk through the valley of death..........." Good stuff.

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