The Legend 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.

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 wealthy Mr. Rudolph Deutsch (Roland Culver) promises a small fortune to the physicist Dr. Lionel Barrett (Clive Revill); to the mental medium Florence Tanner (Pamela Franklin); and to the physical parapsychologist Benjamin Franklin Fischer (Roddy McDowall) to investigate survival after death in the notorious Belasco House, a.k.a. Hell House. The house belonged to "Roaring Giant" Emeric Belasco that promoted orgies in the house and had mysteriously disappeared after a massacre. Fischer is the only survival of a previous investigation and the Dr. Barrett goes with his wife Ann Barrett (Gayle Hunnicutt). Along the days, Florence believes that there are entities in the house, including Belasco's son Daniel; Fischer keeps his mind closed expecting only to earn the promised money, and the skeptical Dr. Barrett brings a machine to drain the energy in the house. Will they be successful in their intent?

"The Legend of Hell House" is a creepy and atmospheric horror movie with a good story of haunted house. The ghost story is supported in lighting, make-up and camera work and only few special effects and is effective. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Casa da Noite Eterna" ("The House of the Eternal Night")

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.

This eerie movie starts when a multi-millionaire enlists a team of subjects formed by a medium (Pamela Franklyn) and parapsychologist scientists (Clive Revill , his wife Gayle Hunnicutt and Roddy McDowall) to stay for a study and resolve weird deeds into his newly acquired house . It seems which the eerie mansion has been the place of several killing deaths . 'Although the story of this film is fictitious , the events depicted involving psychic phenomenon are not only very much within the bounds of possibility but could well be true' , as explain on film prologue a clairvoyant and psychic consultant to European Royalty named Corbett .

This is a chilling adaptation from Richard Matheson's novel based on an assortment of ghouls and ghosts . Innovation theme about possession posteriorly taken by ¨The Exorcist¨ . Middling budget makes for big scary scream-feast and frights . Splendid Pamela Franklyn as a fragile youth who results to have unexpected ties to creepy ghost . Furthermore , it appears briefly Michael Gough . Magnificent cinematography by Alan Hume accompanied by an electronic and rare musical score . Writer Richard Matheson toned down the graphic violence and more intense sexual scenes of his novel to give the screenplay for the film a more brooding atmosphere . The 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 . While the film was released in the US with a P.G. rating, in the UK it curiously received an X rating at first.

The picture was very well directed by John Hough . He often uses visual and sound recourses , echos , zooms and imaginative camera movements . He's a craftsman with eclectic and long directing career . Beginning in television series (Avengers, Protectors) , making Hammer films (Twins of Evil) , Adventures (Island treasure, Black arrow) , wholesome Disney fare (Return and escape to witch mountain) , regency romantic drama (Duel of hearts , Ghost in Montecarlo , Hazard of hearts , The lady and the highwayman) and Horror movies (Howling , American Gothic , Bad karma) and his best film , Legend of Hell House . Other movies about ¨haunted mansions¨ genre are the followings : The innocents (Jack Clayton , 1961), ¨Haunting¨ (Robert Wise , 1963) , ¨Amytiville Horror¨ (Stuart Rosemberg,1979), Changeling(Peter Medak,180), ¨House¨ (Steve Miner).. among others .