The Legend Of Hell House boasts a fine script (by Richard Matheson, based on his novel), good direction by John Hough (Twins Of Evil) and a cast that includes Roddy McDowall, Pamela Franklin, Clive Revill and Gayle Hunnicutt. Its a spin on Shirley Jacksons The Haunting Of Hill House, with a team of paranormal researchers sent to the Mount Everest of haunted houses to collect evidence of life after death. Once inside, the crockery starts to rattle, furniture moves by itself and theres a black cat that leaps out at nicely-timed intervals. Also, the movie employs a number of plot devices not normally seen in PG-rated fare. Overcome with autoerotic phenomena, the lead investigators otherwise dull wife attempts to seduce McDowall while, later on, Franklin has an erotic encounter of her own with a spirit a scene that was later spoofed, none too well, in Scary Movie 2.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
