The Legend of Hell House

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Audience Member This is a curiosity: Richard Matheson adapting his own novel, which itself is deeply in debt to Shirley Jacksons classic The Haunting of Hill House. I was brought here by the high praise of Harlan Ellison, who presumably found the purplish passages of Matheson's script and the histrionics of Roddy MacDowell and the rest to his liking (and possibly enjoyed the film's bathetic denouement). Visually it is a curate's egg. Its best striking and unsettling moments - like the shower ghost and the unnerving mise en scene - are, in spirit (ho ho), clean steals from Wise's The Haunting, but Hell House has tinges of Hammer and Giallo to it as well in its vivid and rather garish use of color. One yearns for a muted palette...even black and white. The opposition between science and the supernatural attempted here was handled so much better and with considerably more subtlety by Friedkin's The Exorcist, which, though it is hard to believe, came out in the same year. The films feel like they belong to different eras, and the unflattering contrast with Friedkin's film makes Hell House seem too often melodramatic and a bit silly. Still, Hell House would have made a great pacy Twilight Zone episode, and if it had been released ten years earlier would probably sit in classic territory. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/20/25 Full Review Sheila B One of my favorite haunted house movies, along with the brilliant "The Haunting," based on Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House." This movie is based on Richard Matheson's "Hell House," which is gripping. The acting is first rate, especially Pamela Franklin who played Flora in "The Innocents" which is a beautifully filmed version of "The Turn of the Screw." I frequently return to these movies because good frightening films are hard to come by. And I need my thrills and chills without blood and gore and teenagers going into haunted house doing insane things to get themselves killed. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/03/24 Full Review Francois B One of the best haunted house film, very atmospheric. A haunting soundtrack, top notch casting. Always fun seeing Roddy Mcdowall and the always reliable Pamela Franklin. Loved the book too from Richard Matheson (I Am A Legend). Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/24 Full Review Tolvis77 I had high expectations which were only half met. Roddy McDowall is always good, but the whole premise fell a bit flat. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/09/23 Full Review Maria C Creepy atmosphere. Some cheesy scenes, but nice performances overall. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/11/23 Full Review Steve D Fairly cheesy but not without its charms. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Legend of Hell House

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