The House on Skull Mountain

Called away to a remote house, a woman and her ancestors gathered together for a will reading find that a powerful voodoo spell has been enacted which begins to kill them off and forces the remaining family members to put a stop to its ancestor's plans.

This here was quite the enjoyable Blaxploitation offering. One of the more enjoyable elements featured here is the fact that the Blaxploitation angle makes for an incredibly fun and enjoyable introduction to the voodoo at play. That's a big part of this one, coming off almost immediately with the opening shots of the tribal ceremony featuring all the dancers in the middle of their ritual while they prepare all the different trinkets and artifacts that start this one off on a great note. The later scenes throughout the house where we get the flashes of the ghostly ancestor raised and warding off the remaining parts of the family offer up some really thrilling moments here as the frequency and unexpectedness of them work and given the inserts showing the the practitioner engaging the ceremonial practices in his room where he has the paraphernalia laid out as he sets about his rituals which offer some fun, cheesy thrills here. It manages to really explore the idea of voodooism quite nicely in really letting the supernatural take-over here, from the need for keeping the objects of power and control around to the matter of the controlled bodies engaging in dangerous activities through the voodoo spell and it really gives this one the kind of building blocks to get a lot of great atmosphere during here which carries over nicely into the finale which features some fantastic voodoo-based action here. Going from the discovery of the ceremonial chamber beneath the house where the dancers are in the middle of their rituals with the entire room lit up using black candles before the fine brawl and leading up into the atmospheric confrontation in the finale, it's got so much to like here. There wasn't much of anything wrong with this one. The main issue here is the fact that the main backstory is given a really large portion of the film which is a little weird to have. The fact that it consists of a long portion of the film is what really hurts it, since it would've been far easier had this done the simple thing and just clumped them all together in one segment without having to jump around with having so many parts in different places as it wasn't that hard to figure out anyway and didn't need the trickery into thinking it was harder to figure out than it really was. The last part here is the scene near the end where they go out on the town. Since it's so close to the end, everything has been figured out and the horror should begin to grow in intensity, as it's after the voodoo ceremony scene, yet this one doesn't do that and it's really hard to understand why it's even there in the first place, serving no purpose for the story and coming across as filler. Beyond these two problems, it's not that bad.

Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence and Language.

Although I thought that "The House on Skull Mountain" was overall a fairly neat movie, I wish that it had featured more action. And people need to realize that voodoo is more than just people sticking pins in dolls; voodoo is a religion. Of course, there can never be too many movies about haunted houses.

The plot is that an elderly African-American woman dies and a couple of people are invited to her house near Atlanta. Sure enough, there are bad things going on in this house. I thought that Phillippe was sort of a cliché (alcoholic wise guy), but he was the neatest character in the movie! Anyway, there's nothing special about this movie.

This is curiously obscure for a film distributed by 20th Century Fox. That obscurity is in no way a reflection on its quality, however; if anything, the worst I can say is that there are times when the title betrays production values more closely recalling genre flicks of the 60s. More hard-nosed viewers may find facets like the effects, the painted background showing Skull Mountain, or regular visualization of a skull motif to be outdated and kitschy; I, for one, am delighted by the throwback, reminding of like-minded fare from Roger Corman or AIP. More concretely, while much of the dialogue and scene writing is playful or even ham-handed in keeping with the overall tone of the picture, there are some instances that are weirdly clunky and contrived. Yet while 'The house on Skull Mountain' is filled with some odd touches, by and large it's well made and entertaining. It's hardly any peak of horror, but for those who appreciate all the different flavors that the genre has to offer, this is a good time on its own merits. For my part, I rather like it!

The less than entirely serious tone of the movie is borne out in most regards, from Ron Honthaner's direction and Monroe Askins' cinematography, to some instances of Jerrold Immel's score and definitely the acting. This is hardly to say, however, that this isn't marked by discernible skill and intelligence all around. The cast are enjoying themselves, but plainly just embracing the spirit of the affair; some of Immel's themes very ably lend some real atmosphere to the proceedings. Askins' work is just as solid as that of any of his contemporaries, and if there's any criticism to be made of Honthaner I think it's only that the feature struggles at times with fluctuating tone. I suppose the latter point also extends to Mildred Pares' script, not least with that ill-fitting scene a bit over halfway through when Lorena and Andrew take a daytrip - yet much more than not the writing presents classic, worthwhile material as relatives gather following a death in the family and strange goings-on amass. Add voodoo for flavor, and we have all the ingredients for an eerie lark.

The small cast of characters on hand reinforces the notion, troubling the back of our minds while watching, that plot development is a smidgen forced, and that the story as a whole may be lighter and more abbreviated than it could or should have been. Still, the scene writing is pretty fun as the tale advances, and it certainly comes across that all involved were having a blast making this. Even at their most chintzy I can't say that the characters and dialogue aren't a minor joy. The filming locations are beautiful, and the sets and art direction at large are genuinely terrific, as are props, practical effects, and stunts. Yes, this is the type of horror that's built for amusement over actual evocation of strong feelings, yet it still carries enough of a sinister edge to it - in the greater spectacle of the last act above all - to provide a measure of the earnest genre vibes for which we seek out such films in the first place. The end result may not be perfect, nor perfectly satisfying, but when all is said and done 'The house on Skull Mountain' bears much more strength than not.

I had mixed to low expectations when I sat to watch, and I recognize that this is not exactly held in the highest of esteem. As far as that goes, I can understand how this won't meet with equal favor for all comers, because it does have some faults and weak points, and it's not the most robust and invigorating among its kin. Not every movie needs to be a revelation, however, and this one just wanted to have a good time with the more nefarious side of cinema. I repeat that as far as I'm concerned 'The house on Skull Mountain' is entertaining, with a sufficiently solid foundation to at least partly sate our cravings for horror. It's nothing one needs to go out of their way to see, but if you do have the opportunity to watch and are looking for something comparatively light, I'm pleased to give this my recommendation.

I recently viewed The House on Skull Mountain (1974) on a random streaming service. The plot revolves around a southern voodoo lady's death, prompting her family to gather for the will, only to realize their lives may be in jeopardy.

Directed by Ron Honthaner in his sole directorial venture, the film features Victor French (Highway to Heaven), Mike Evans (The Jeffersons), Lloyd Nelson (The Dead Pool), and Denis LeHane (The Town that Dreaded Sundown).

While the film explores unique family dynamics and presents some suspenseful and unpredictable situations, it falls short overall. The made-for-television vibe is pervasive, and despite entertaining voodoo scenes, the absence of compelling kill scenes, gore, or blood splatter is noticeable. The background music is reminiscent of classic '70s horror and complements the atmospheric elements with storms, thunder, and rain. The surprising conclusion adds some value.

In summary, The House on Skull Mountain is an uneven and below-average entry to the horror genre. I would rate this a 4/10 and suggest skipping it.

The House on Skull Mountain? Sounds like some 60's Hardy-Boy adventure to me. I have to say I caught glimpses of this film a couple weeks ago and it was very strange. Your typical 70's horror flick. I mean it wasn't that bad and Victor French does a good job, but it seemed like it was lacking a few things. Maybe I will have to watch it again some time. All I know is films like the infamous "ALIEN" ('79) changed the view of horror movies for ever and that may or may not be a good thing. Too many imitations these days. Take a look at this movie some time.