Released in June of 1973, The Legend of Hell House was a supernatural gothic horror movie that was based on the book, Hell House, written by Richard Matheson. On the surface, The Legend of Hell House can be seen as a remake of The Haunting, the 1963 classic ghost story movie that was adapted from The Haunting of Hill House, the equally classic Shirley Jackson novel. Both films deal with paranormal investigators probing a legendary haunted house, but Matheson’s take on the story was different in that science played a stronger role, and Hell House had a very nice twist at the end.
Directed by John Hough (he also helmed Twins of Evil, and Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry, among others), Hell House abruptly begins when physicist Dr. Lionel Barrett (Clive Revill) is called to the estate of a millionaire (Roland Culver), who makes him an enticing offer: take a paranormal team to The Belasco House, otherwise known as “the Mount Everest of haunted houses,” to determine if there is any evidence of an afterlife. This is a limited time offer and Barrett must make his decision quickly.
Of course, he goes ghost hunting. Barrett brings with him his wife, Ann (Gayle Hunnicutt), along with two psychics: the young and extremely powerful psychic Florence Tanner (Pamela Franklin) and Benjamin Fischer (Roddy McDowall), who was part of an earlier investigation into the Belasco House that ended in disaster. Dr. Barrett, a staunch man of science, soon clashes with the head-strong Florence over their varying methods. But it’s not long before everybody starts clashing with each other and everything as the dark forces of Hell House begins grinding them down.
I own The Legend of Hell House on DVD, and having recently re-watched it in light of its fiftieth anniversary this year, I have to say that the movie holds up extremely well. I also read Matheson’s novel, many years ago, and the movie is much more tamer than the book, only suggesting the horrors and debauchery that the novel graphically described in detail. But this restraint in showing the horrors on-screen only helps the movie immensely, because the scare scenes are that much more effective because the viewer has to imagine what’s there.
One particularly unsettling scene--both when I first saw it as a child and even now as an adult--is the “sitting” scene, where Florence tries to contact the spirits of the house while connected to various scientific gizmos that Dr. Bennett is overseeing. Florence goes into a deep trance as thin white streams of ectoplasm emit from her fingertips. It’s not a big “horror” moment, in the sense that extreme violence breaks out--instead it’s a very subtle moment, which is given a really eerie feel by the deep red lighting, that’s still effectively creepy even now.
The film’s unusual music score, by Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson, is also extremely well-done. It sets up a dark, menacing mood from the very first scene with its low thrumming that helps to build up the frightening atmosphere and looming danger. The film is still genuinely scary, even after fifty years, and its bigger shock moments still land wonderfully--with the exception of a cat-attack scene that plays more funny than anything else, with Pamela Franklin battling what obviously looks like a stuffed cat in some shots.
But the screenplay, adapted by Matheson from his novel, is still very sturdy and well-thought out. He presents a mystery deep within the core of the story that you easily become engrossed in. I’ve heard rumors of a remake of Hell House coming soon, but I’m still quite happy with the original version. It makes for a great double feature with The Haunting. --SF
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