The Legend of Hell House

Starring:Pamela Franklin, Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill, Gayle Hunnicutt, Roland Culver, Peter Bowles, Michael Gough
Director: John Hough
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Product Type: DVD

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Four people enter the Belasco Mansion, the so-called "Everest of haunted houses," hired by a dying millionaire to investigate the possibility of life after death. Physicist Clive Revill leads the quartet, which includes his wife Gayle Hunnicut and two mediums. Pamela Franklin, young and impulsive, immediately makes contact with what she perceives as a tortured spirit, while Roddy McDowall, the only survivor from the previous investigation 20 years ago, closes himself off completely, deathly afraid of the malevolent forces that crushed his former comrades in body and spirit. Science fiction and horror legend Richard Matheson, responsible for penning such horror classics as The Devil Rides Out and Roger Corman's The Pit and the Pendulum, brings a literate sensibility and a refreshing seriousness to the haunted-house genre with this adaptation of his novel Hell House. Director John Hough follows Matheson's lead with a moody but sober approach, balancing the physical threats of objects lethally leaping to life with the slow, subtle possession of the characters by a truly evil spirit. Parts of the script feel like so much scientific mumbo jumbo, with characters discussing the finer points of supernatural manifestation and ectoplasmic activity, but Hough's deliberate direction gives it the necessary solemnity to take it all seriously. --Sean Axmaker

Description

In sits there, shrouded in mist and mystery, a nesting place for living evil and terror from the dead. It's Hell House. Roddy McDowall heads the cast of this exciting chiller about four psychic investigators and the dark, brooding mansion they themselves call "the Mt. Everest of haunted houses." It's already destroyed one team of researchers. Now this brave quartet ventures in for another try at unraveling its secret. But before they succeed, they must suffer through madness, murder and everything else the spirits that dwell here have in store for them. Yet learning the truth just might drive them all insane. An ingeniously-devised ghost story, THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE will thrill and delight veteran horror fans from the first creaking door to the very last slithering shadow.

Customer Reviews:

The Legend of Hell House.......2007-05-13

On a scale where THE HAUNTING is rated as a five star movie I have to assign this film about three stars. I enjoyed THE LEGEND, however, more than that rating would convey. Despite the several faults it has, which have been well presented by previous writers, it was a lively, entertaining and enjoyable movie. It is too bad that the DVD did not include more extras like a brief documentary on the making of the film and but it was a decent transfer and well worth the current price.

The thinking man's horror story........2007-04-30

Unfortunately, this movie doesn't begin to touch the truly perverse and horrifying depths as written in the novel of which it is based, Richard Matheson's "Hell House". There are many key elements to the story which were barely mentioned but not explored due to the times when this was released. A more faithful film adaptation would be welcomed, so long as the CGI was kept to a minimum and if competant actors are hired for the project.

Belasco House is the Mount Everest of haunted houses, a private Hell built and orchestrated by its owner, Emeric Belasco. A large number of atrocities, horrors and criminal activity occurred there, and nearly all paranormal investigators called to the house had died in violent circumstances. The only survivor of the previous investigations is Ben Fischer, a physical medium who is called to return to the house along with Florence Tanner, a mental medium, and Dr. Lionel Barrett, a physicist who has brought along his wife Edith despite his protests. They are being paid princely sums of money each by an elderly millionaire to uncover absolute proof of life after death. What happens following their arrival is a series of red herrings woven into the plot consisting of ghostly apparitions, possessions and restless spirits wreaking havoc.

This might be a boring film for those who are accustomed to seeing lots of blood, gore and violence in their horror movies. Indeed, it is rather tame in comparison to the original novel. Still, it boasts a VERY fine cast in Roddy McDowall, Pamela Franklin, Clive Revill and Gayle Hunnicutt, who all give excellent performances. The storyline is worthy of discussion and dissection for devoted fans of both the book and movie, and there is usually something new to find with each viewing of the film. Until its DVD release nearly ten years ago, this film was somewhat hard to find and rarely shown on TV. It was years before I met someone else who'd even seen it before! Today it is still rather elusive, but now much easier to buy a copy for your own film library.

"The Legend of Hell House" is a great classic horror film which makes you think...something that not many other movies in the genre tend to do. It is scary without being gory, and is sure to be a reliable favorite in your household for many years. Buy a copy of it today!

Insane, nasty and beautiful.......2007-04-09

"The Legend of Hell House" is one of those in-the-heat-of-the-moment-sadistic-satanic-70's films that everyone wants to forget about, as though cinema had a decade long fever peopled with sweaty dreams of demons, hauntings, and hapless female vixens with mysterious backgrounds and pronounced C-cup screen presences.

There is a cavernous darkness to this film from the opening scene that doesn't let up, not even with the absurd ending (Roddy McDowall jumping around, beating up a spirit who apparently can't escape the phenomenal world because of really good titanium.)

A bunch of psychics and one really pompous scientist decide to investigate the phenomenon of "Hell House", a foul little mansion once owned by an Aleister Crowley type (only worse) named Belasco. How can the name Belasco not inspire fear? It sounds like a tobacco company owned by Satan himself.

This Belasco wasn't a nice guy. One of the most chilling parts of the film is when the vulnerable (cues from "The Haunting" are wisely heeded) and unbalanced Christian psychic accidentally plays a record of which politely greets the troupe and promises "a memorable stay". Indeed.

Things don't turn out well. At all. Some of the highlights are McDowall's bone chilling monologues about the first exploration of the place which almost killed him and an unwise decision on the part of the female psychic to set free the spirit of Belasco's "son".

The ending could have destroyed whatever dubious scientific pretensions the film has, but by the time it takes place the movie has already cast its ugly and compelling spell. A must see.

The Legend of Hell House .......2007-04-07

Outstanding classic horror film. A must have for all horror film fans.

The Legend of Hell House.......2007-01-12

Good old fashion haunted house movie. A little hokey at times, but none the less " A good scary flick"

Average customer rating:

Legend Of Hell House
Starring: Legend of Hell House
Manufacturer: Fox Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Perry Mason - Season 2, Vol. 1

ASIN: B000QXDCJM
Release Date: 2007-09-11

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Legend of Hell House

Manufacturer: Tcfhe
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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Average customer rating:

The Legend of Hell House
The thinking man's horror story.
Insane, nasty and beautiful
The Legend of Hell House
The Legend of Hell House

The Legend of Hell House [Region 2]
Starring: Pamela Franklin , Roddy McDowall , Clive Revill , Gayle Hunnicutt , and Roland Culver
Director: John Hough
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD