Announcing the Secret Places and Trippy Houses Blogathon

Posted on by rebeccadeniston

One of the most fascinating plot devices in storytelling, whether on the screen or in books, has to be the secret place, whether it’s a literal secret room or a weird house with secret passages, or maybe an underground city, or something that has gone unnoticed. It means that everyone who doesn’t know about these hidden places has to reset their thinking and look at the world differently, which is an interesting mental exercise.

What’s also fun are the lengths that are often undergone to conceal places once they’re discovered, such as visitors to the Batcave getting sprayed with Batsleep in the Adam West TV show, or the Room of Requirement only showing up for those who need it most in Harry Potter. The interest just keeps layering itself.

So, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the movies and TV shows over the years that have used secret places in their plots. The era doesn’t matter because the plot device has always gone strong.

The secret place concept also dovetails nicely with Halloween and all the horror movies we bloggers love to write about in October, because, obviously, secret places are a thing in horror movies, and who doesn’t love a good dark house flick?

However, we don’t have to limit ourselves to the creepy stuff. Anything involving a secret place or a weird house is fine, so speakeasies, secret passages, strange neighbors, or just a place that’s seemingly off-limits is fair game. Even something that seems to be in plain sight but still unnoticed is fine. There are lots of possibilities.

All right, now we’re on to…

The Rules

  1. The blogathon will take place from the twenty-fourth to the twenty-sixth of October. Posts can be sent to me on or around these days, whether by leaving a comment, sending it via Twitter/X, Bluesky, Instagram, or Threads (All @takinguproom), my Contact page, or e-mailing me at rebeccadeniston@gmail.com.
  2. If anyone would like to join, please leave a comment here or contact me via any of the methods mentioned above and let me know which title or titles you’d like to review. While I’m sure there will be a lot of familiar faces joining, please leave your blog name as well just in case.
  3. New material only, please. Participants are limited to three entries apiece.
  4. Movies or TV shows from any genre and any era are fine, and since this is such a big topic, there will be no duplicates. However, the same topic can be approached from different angles, such as a listicle.
  5. Nothing derogatory will be accepted.
  6. Grab a banner and advertise the blogathon!

The Roster

Taking Up Room: Panic Room (2002)

Realweegiemidget Reviews: Pack of Lies (1987)

Cinematic Catharsis: The Raven (1935)

The Spirochaete Trail: Skinamarink (2022)

The Wonderful World Of Cinema: Suspiria (1977)

The Midnite Drive-In: Dreamscape (1984)

Classic Film and TV Corner: The Wicked Lady (1945)

Films From Beyond the Time Barrier: The Man With Nine Lives (1940)

By Rich Watson: Dark City (1998)

18 Cinema Lane: Let Me In (2010)

Smoke In the Library: Bad Times At the El Royale (2018)

Crítica Retrô: The Cat And the Canary (1927)

Whimsically Classic: Blast From the Past (1999)

DIary of a Movie Maniac: Weapons (2025)

Hoofers and Honeys: The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood: Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

The Banners

58 thoughts on “Announcing the Secret Places and Trippy Houses Blogathon”

      1. Could I change my entry to The Wizard of Oz? I rewatched Brigadoon and while I plan on reviewing it, it’s– not going to be a positive review lol (I hadn’t seen it since childhood and it did not impress me as an adult) and I don’t want to be a spoilsport with this blogathon.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I am so sorry to change gears on you again, but I will have to just drop out of the blogathon. I have been sick for three weeks and just recovering in the last few days. In that time, a lot of my blog writing schedule has been forced to go by the wayside. That combined with some personal stuff going on at the moment means more than likely I will not be able to participate. I am sorry for the inconvenience.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Just spotted another one… could I do the Alan Bates’ movie Pack of Lies (1987) instead of Diary of Anne Frank (1959)…? Between you and me, It’s a true story about a family who discover their best friends are actually undercover Soviet spies after a man from British Intelligence asks to spy secretly from their house?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. Hi Rebecca! I mulled over a half dozen or so possibilities before settling on a great Boris Karloff mad scientist vehicle complete with secret passages and chambers (and fitting for the Halloween season): The Man with Nine Lives (1940).

    Brian at Films From Beyond

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
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  18. Hi Rebecca! I hope I’m not too late to join? I’ve been mulling over topics for this event for quite a while now, but I’ve finally made up my mind. In honour of Diane Keaton, I would love to pay tribute to her by writing about “Manhattan Murder Mystery” (1993). Would that fit the theme of this blogathon do you think?

    Liked by 1 person

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