The Legend of Hell House

Rating:
Summary: Eh... just didn't age well.
Review: I am sure that back in the day when this film was released it was something that surely frightened the average viewer, but unfortunately this film has not aged well. I am sure that the "PG" rating that the filmmaker had to settle for probably can be blamed for 90% of the poor staying power that this film has. At best it is a cliche' haunted house filck with a fair amount of very dry but competent British acting. Watch it if you have nothing better to do but do not expect a four star film. Take the $7 or $8 and buy a Richard Matheson short story collection book instead. This movie just isn't very good. You might like it if you are a "Hammer" fan - but probably not.

Rating:
Summary: A classy, scary movie!
Review: First of all, I just wanted to clarify that this movie is not a remake of "The Haunting", Robert Wise's 1963 classic, as an earlier reviewer stated. That is an adaptation of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. This is an adaptation of Richard Matheson's equally frightening novel Hell House. The only thing they have in common is that they're scary and they're based on books. The Legend of Hell House sets up a terrifying premise, a group of researches staying in a house that has driven people mad, to suicide, homicide, or simply caused them to disappear. The mood is great, the performances phenomenal, especially Roddy McDowall as a clairvoyant who almost died the last time he was in the house as a child. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A nice homage to a classic
Review: There is no point in denying that Hell House is essentially a remake of the 1963 classic, The Haunting. The premise and many elements are identical, for better or worse. On its own merits, it's a fairly good film. The acting is great, the setting is perfect, the directing is okay, and the storyline is entertaining. As far as ghost stories of the poltergeist persuasion go, this is actually one of the best. That isn't always saying something, however.

Right off the bat, I'd have to disagree with the majority of reviewers when I say that the mood wasn't all that suspenseful. There was a distinct sense of deja vu, viewing this film after having seen the original Haunting, the 1999 remake, as well as Stephen King's homage Rose Madder. The director sort of throws the film at you and hopes you'll bite. Unfortunately I only semi-bit, but for good reason! For instance, you really had to believe what the director was feeding you when he panned the camera at the floor, implying that a ghost was walking. Coupled with the, "who is there, a ghost?" dialogue, it sometimes came across as forced. Unlike the original Haunting, Hell House is a very visual attempt (as opposed to cerebral) that is often hit or miss. The biggest thing against this film is that there is nothing here that matches the Haunting's middle-of-the-night wall-banging, or the narration of that movie's main character's, Eleanor, over-the-edge thought process.

Still, some of the scenes do manage to illicit a gasp, and two scenes in this film make it worthy of seeing for the sake of amusement. One of the more interesting scenes involved a seance. In it, the medium Pamela Franklin channels one of the souls. As the spirit enters her deeper and deeper, the medium's breathing gets heavier and heavier. Soon, ectoplasm gets everywhere. One of the two amusing parts involves a cat abuse scene, complete with poorly done meows. It was funny in the surgery scene in The Man With Two Brain's, and again in the Re-Animator with the resurrected cat (and interestingly, the main actor from Re-Animator is in both). Hell House's cat scene does not fail to deliver. The cat meows poorly, attacks viciously, and (sadly) dies spectacularly. "Rowrrrrrrrr" indeed. Another scene involves the medium Pamela Franklin again. In the privacy of her bedroom (she isn't sharing it with anyone, though she is constantly visited during the night), she prays to God, "Lord, help me save [the ghost in question])". Then, she strips, hops into bed naked and proclaims, "let me give you the love you never had." What follows is some bumpy ghost sex (sick? neat? hot? you decide), which unfortunately, doesn't go the way she planned. But I think the message is obvious: don't have sex with ghosts to free their souls, because sometimes it doesn't work out. That's a powerful message I won't soon forget.

My reccomendation is to buy or rent this one. It's still one of the best horror films ever made, despite all its set backs. This is mostly because the horror genre as a whole is filled with utter crap, but also because there is enough talent involved in this film to make it float. I won't make any promises, but if you've sat through the remake of House On Haunted Hill and/or the Haunting, you'll probably worship this movie as god.



Rating:
Summary: Fun and Creepy Haunted House Thriller
Review: Older, but it's held up pretty well. Similar to The Haunting and the many carbon copies since, it's still a pretty well made horror flick. Pamela Franklin is such a convincing kook/psychic/unstable wild card in this mix, that most of the really good scenes involve her. McDowell is great as part narrator(for exposition) and scaredy cat, that you believe all this stuff is real. Great sets and sound, some good FX for its time (except for that cat which is horribly bad) and a very creepy atmosphere all lend themselves to a very satisfying, memorable haunted house chiller.