Haunts of the Very Rich

Well-regarded ABC movie-of-the-week involves a group of seemingly disparate airplane passengers (including a malcontent from the Bronx, a priest, a newlywed couple, and a homely spinster who blossoms after a makeover) who have either responded to an advertisement or were led unawares aboard a flight to a mysterious destination; once they land in a tropical, isolated paradise, the question is why were they chosen to be there--and how will they ever get back home. Familiar cast of faces from TV do satisfactory work, though they bicker endlessly with each other and come up with colorless, vacant characterizations. Writer William Wood, working from T.K. Brown III's original story, steers the melodrama to a 'shocking' conclusion, but much of his dialogue is overwrought. As the island host who mysteriously vanishes, Moses Gunn might have been the template for Ricardo Montalban's future Mr. Roarke, but no fantasies are produced here.

I liked this film very much. However I take issue with the credit 'Story by T.K. Brown.' This is NOT an original story; it was lifted from the play 'Outward Bound' by Sutton Vane.

Having given credit where it is due, the premise is very simple: Seven (7) vacationers are on an airplane bound for a mysterious resort called 'The Portals of Eden'. A newlywed couple, a married woman in recovery from a nervous condition; a Clergyman experiencing a crisis of faith; a businessman on the wrong plane; a single, insecure woman; A lusty man traveling alone whose marital status is in question. They are all about to experience the vacation of a lifetime...

Viewing this film 40 years later, I am sentimental because I love the entire cast: they are immortalized in their prime and I thought they all did a terrific job. Robert Reed is the stand out for me; his character, the Reverend Fellows, is mostly in the background until the last 20 minutes or so. It is Mr. Bridges's, Ms. Leachman's and Mr. Asner's characters who move the story forward throughout most of the film with the participation of Ms. Francis's, Ms. Mills's and Mr. Bill's characters who are all followers.

Mr. Reed then takes the helm and his character provides a most powerful and moving soliloquy vital to the plot to help the story towards closure.

I found this movie a bit 'Haunting' as the title suggests; it does what a good movie should do, it stays with you after it is over. I give this a 9 out of 10.

Prolific Aaron Spelling produced this TV-movie from 1972 that bore a striking similarity to the Ricardo Montalban hit. Boasting a cast of familiar television performers (Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Edward Asner, Robert Reed, Anne Francis, and Donna Mills), the story deals with wealthy vacationers that find themselves stranded at the "resort from hell." With a few plot twists and turns, the movie keeps the viewer gripped until the final seconds, when they learn the "truth," although the audience has been in on the "secret," midway through the telecast.

Moses Gunn plays the mysterious "host" with a mixture of hospitality and menace. His glistening white outfit belies that fact that he may not seem as friendly as he appears.

Though predictable, "Haunts of the Very Rich" is still a cut above the "based on actual events" films that populate television movies of the present.

The more experienced and knowledgeable fans of the horror genre will undoubtedly agree with me when I state that pretty much all the great cinematic horror classics, whether from the US or outside of American borders, have already been re-discovered and released in fancy deluxe DVD editions. The only market segment where you can still occasionally stumble upon a genuinely original, surprising and completely undiscovered hidden horror gem is in the TV-movie archives of the 1970's. I often don't comprehend where they keep coming from, but this era produced literally dozens and dozens of worthwhile and even downright terrific horror material. "Haunts of the very Rich" is a typical one of these lost treasures. Never heard about it before, but the cast and crew are excellent and the synopsis promises a story that is both absorbing and unsettling. A group of people, all strangers to each other, meet on a luxurious airplane on their way to a holiday resort. Nobody really knows exactly how they ended up there, most of them certainly didn't plan to be there, and the longer they are there, more mysteries gradually unfold. I will naturally not reveal the "twist-ending", even though several of the reviews around here bluntly do so, but I can at least confirm that it is unique, macabre and groundbreaking. That is to say, if you manage to place it in its time and surrounding, because nowadays the ultimate theme of the film has been overdone and endlessly exploited. Furthermore is "Haunts of the Very Rich" worth checking out for the excellent cast alone already. Specialist company ABC and experienced TV-movie director Paul Wendkos, who also made "The Legend of Lizzie Borden" and "Good against Evil", managed to enlist names like Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Anne Francis, Robert Reed and Donna Mills. If you can find it anywhere, don't hesitate.

This made-for-TV movie has several things going for it. The acting is well done, no surprise there because of the professional cast, with Robert Reed being the standout due to one striking monologue he has. The locations are atmospheric and do give the impression of being far from civilization. Also, there are no boring bits.

However, as good as the movie is, there are a couple of problems that hold it back from true greatness. The first problem is with its length. Even though the movie runs a little less than 75 minutes long, the movie feels somewhat stretched out. Maybe this would have played better had it been produced as a one hour television episode of "The Twilight Zone". The second problem is that the "mystery" is no mystery - I guessed what the twist would be in the opening minutes! In fairness, the movie does trick the audience just before the end into thinking there's some other explanation.

While I wouldn't quite say that this is worth seeking out, if you come across it when you have some time to spend, you'll probably be entertained enough.