Haunts of the Very Rich

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.

HAUNTS OF THE VERY RICH begins on a charter flight to The Portals Of Eden, which is a secret destination kept from the passengers.

Upon arrival, the group, including a grumpy, bigoted businessman (Ed Asner), a disillusioned priest (Robert Reed), a burned out socialite (Anne Francis), an unfaithfully married playboy (Lloyd Bridges), a newlywed couple (Tony Bill and Donna Mills), and a lonely woman (Cloris Leachman), find themselves in a veritable paradise, where they're met by a mysterious man named Seacrist (Moses Gunn).

At first, everything is like a dream come true. Then, odd things commence- a snake in a bed, a tropical storm, a power / phone outage, etc. In no time, what was a perfect heaven on earth changes into a jungle hell! With the extreme heat and humidity, everyone is on edge. Some, far more than others.

Isolated and growing desperate, nothing goes right. More bizarre, even deadly things take place. What is happening? Where are these people... really?

HOTVR is another wonderful made-for-TV movie from the 1970's. Some have compared it to FANTASY ISLAND and / or the TWILIGHT ZONE. Toss NIGHT GALLERY or CIRCLE OF FEAR into the mix as well, as there's more horror than anything else. Very well-done with a great finale...

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.

For a TV movie, this was pretty darn spooky. Reminded me of The Haunting of Hill House -- the 60s original, in terms of dread, not style. To be able to infuse a modern setting with hopeless fear is a real accomplishment. It was the first time I saw Ed Asner in a role I liked, he's grim and believable, as he was much later in Rich Man, Poor Man.

This movie is on a TV-type level of seriousness, not what is carried off in main cinema. Lloyd Bridges, for instance, is a TV show type of guy, and he's playing a major role. But his part and Chloris Leachman's are very pleasing. It is because the story is good enough to conjure up dread, and the characters are likable that I remember this movie years later; I wish I could see it again.

A very dramatic thriller, a movie that leaves you thinking whether the end can be a possibility in the world we are living, either to believers or non-believers. Filmed with very few FX, and very good scenery, just the necessary dialogs and a plot that seizes you and keeps you stuck to the screen till the end credits. If it can be found it is a collector's item that should be in a collector's shelf. Performing actors are very well chosen and masterly directed to comply with the script requirements. The audience can see many resemblances to known people, living or dead, in each of the characters; and, why not, see their own lives partially or totally depicted in one or more of the characters.