A physicist, his wife and two mediums are hired to investigate the Belasco House, where 27 guests had inexplicably died in 1927, along with most of a team of paranormal investigators that wa... Read allA physicist, his wife and two mediums are hired to investigate the Belasco House, where 27 guests had inexplicably died in 1927, along with most of a team of paranormal investigators that was sent in the early 1950s.A physicist, his wife and two mediums are hired to investigate the Belasco House, where 27 guests had inexplicably died in 1927, along with most of a team of paranormal investigators that was sent in the early 1950s.
- Awards
- 2 nominations total
Featured reviews
Under-rated, unduly over-shadowed, and quite rightly the most notoriously scary and deadly place (billed by American author, Richard Matheson, as "The Mt. Everest of all Haunted Houses" in his novel on which this British interpretation is based). The Author, in his attempt to write the be-all and get-all of all Gothic adventures, threw everything conceivable into the mix; cannibalism, sexual deviance, drug induced homicidal and suicidal tendencies, and a walloping ending which explains the mystery of this heretofore unsolved monster of a puzzle. Even in Hough's film, with a serviceable Matheson script, the basic formula remains intact; the smug para-psychologist, the traumatised evangelist, the cautionary medium and 'smug's' sexually frustrated wife, all come to the doorstep of Belasco House, and enter at their own risk. If you read the novel first, then the film will come to mean much more, and is better appreciated.
A very creepy tale of a haunted house. Not only was the film creepy and scary it was also a mystery. You sit there and try to pay attention so you don't miss any clues, but then something creepy comes up and you get side tracked. This made the film a really good horror flick. The cast was pretty good. I am not too sure if I liked Gayle Hunnicutt in the film though. My favorite character was played by Roddy McDowall. He really brought out the feeling in his character. There were some interesting camera shots in this film which I think brought it more to life. The film was not that gory at all. It focuses on scaring the viewer mentally and I believe it does a pretty decent job. So see if you can figure out the mystery of Hell House.
"The Legend of Hell House" does an exceptional job of setting a scary and haunting mood. However, while it is worth watching, the ending did very little for me--as if they'd created this wonderful mood but weren't exactly sure what to do about it.
The film begins with a very old rich guy meeting with a physicist and amateur parapsychologist. He offers the man 100,000 pounds to investigate the most haunted house in the world--a death house nicknamed 'Hell House'. It seems that of the last 9 people who investigated this place, only one came out alive! Now, the physicist/parapsychologist will take a team into the bricked out house to determine the secret of this god-forsaken house. Once inside, weird things start happening--and the malevolent spirits in the house begin to possess various members of the group. What happens next? Tune in and see.
Overall, this is worth seeing, as it's creepy as can be. The ending you might like--I wasn't all that impresses--especially since I don't know how lead would cause the least bit of difference. I would, however, say that this is among Michael Gough's best performances--far more subtle and less shrill than most.
The film begins with a very old rich guy meeting with a physicist and amateur parapsychologist. He offers the man 100,000 pounds to investigate the most haunted house in the world--a death house nicknamed 'Hell House'. It seems that of the last 9 people who investigated this place, only one came out alive! Now, the physicist/parapsychologist will take a team into the bricked out house to determine the secret of this god-forsaken house. Once inside, weird things start happening--and the malevolent spirits in the house begin to possess various members of the group. What happens next? Tune in and see.
Overall, this is worth seeing, as it's creepy as can be. The ending you might like--I wasn't all that impresses--especially since I don't know how lead would cause the least bit of difference. I would, however, say that this is among Michael Gough's best performances--far more subtle and less shrill than most.
Now that it's spooky time again, one should plug this in at night and watch during windy weather, eventho' the timeline of the story unwinds around Christmas. Was this intentional? Imagine spending the holidays in this place!
Yes, the highlight is the possessed stuffed black cat but the real big scene that will leave you breathless is the haunted sequence at the dinner table, with the table itself going nuts and the dishes slamming about, the chair tipping backwards, the fireplace burping out a huge fireball, etc. I always look forward to that moment everytime I re-view this, since it is a great movie to watch again.
Probably Mcdowall's best role, until he camped it up in Fright Night. And Pamela Franlkin? Well, she's just ducky. ... wait until that ghost machine explodes. Dynamite stuff.
Yes, the highlight is the possessed stuffed black cat but the real big scene that will leave you breathless is the haunted sequence at the dinner table, with the table itself going nuts and the dishes slamming about, the chair tipping backwards, the fireplace burping out a huge fireball, etc. I always look forward to that moment everytime I re-view this, since it is a great movie to watch again.
Probably Mcdowall's best role, until he camped it up in Fright Night. And Pamela Franlkin? Well, she's just ducky. ... wait until that ghost machine explodes. Dynamite stuff.
Haunted house movies generally don't deliver the goods. There are a few exceptions; the original The Haunting (1963) is the best example. That was a truly terrifying film. The Legend of Hell House is one these exceptions 'cause it really serves up some decent scares and maintains a very creepy atmosphere throughout.
The plot is similar to The Haunting. Various people spend time in a supposedly haunted house, each of them with different background and experience, one of whom has already spent time there and was the only one to come out alive. Needless to say the house is indeed very haunted and pretty soon these people are fighting for their lives.
Featuring excellent performances by all, first rate direction and production values, a solid script; The Legend of Hell House is really a first rate horror film in most respects.
The plot is similar to The Haunting. Various people spend time in a supposedly haunted house, each of them with different background and experience, one of whom has already spent time there and was the only one to come out alive. Needless to say the house is indeed very haunted and pretty soon these people are fighting for their lives.
Featuring excellent performances by all, first rate direction and production values, a solid script; The Legend of Hell House is really a first rate horror film in most respects.
Did you know
- TriviaThe original novel was set in New England, with an American team of psychic investigators. The storyline was changed, to fit the movie's production in England, with British actors playing the investigators.
- GoofsWhen the ghost runs out of Florence Tanner's room, you can clearly see a 2x4 board that was part of the mechanism to make the door open and close by itself.
- Quotes
Ann Barrett: What did he do to make this house so evil, Mr. Fischer?
Benjamin Franklin Fischer: Drug addiction, alcoholism, sadism, bestiality, mutilation, murder, vampirism, necrophilia, cannibalism, not to mention a gamut of sexual goodies. Shall I go on?
Ann Barrett: How did it end?
Benjamin Franklin Fischer: If it had ended, we would not be here.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: Although the story of this film is fictitious, the events depicted involving psychic phenomena are not only very much within the bounds of possibility, but could well be true. Tom Corbett Clairvoyant and Psychic Consultant to European Royalty.
- Alternate versions"SPOILER ALERT" When Dr. Barrett meets his demise towards the end of the film, most video releases depict one of his instruments exploding, then cut to the scene in which Mr. Fischer & Mrs. Barrett return to the laboratory and find his dead body under a fallen chandelier. However, in at least one edited for television version the scene continues as Dr. Barraett recoils from the explosion, then begins staggering through his laboratory as a supernatural wind picks up and his instruments are exploding around him. He then stumbles to the ground, and the chandelier falls on his head.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Mysteries of the Unknown: The Occult (1977)
Details
- Runtime
- 1h 35m(95 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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