4/5 The Legend of Hell House
  by Karen A. Mader (New Hampshire, USA)
The Legend of Hell House is another legendary horror movie. (I only gave it 4 stars because I only give 1 movie 5 stars. See my other reviews!)

Roddy MacDowell gives a sterling performance as a gun-shy psychic. Pamela Franklin is maybe a little over the top with the wide-eyed horror, but no more so than Shelly Duvall in The Shining. (A horrible miscast, if ever there was one!)

As with the other great horror films, it's the director's use of atmosphere, lighting, and camera angles that do most of the scary work. There's some special effects here, but not enough to bore you with un-realism.

Really, if you ever loved Roddy in Fright Night, you've got to see him in this movie. This is one film that I stay up late to watch each and every Halloween night!

4/5 A creepy, scary, erotic thriller that still holds up.
  by Grant Watson (NC)
THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE(1973).

Wow, I had forgotten how good this one was. It had probably been at least 8 to 10 years since I had seen it and I remember it looking pale and grainy. This is a bare boned dvd but it has a beautiful cut in letterbox, it really looks good. Crisp, clear, beautiful photography, lush color.

I liked the understated almost bored tone of the acting, and then the sudden switch up when somthing creepy happens to one of the characters. It was a nice experience as I had forgotten the ending. So I was guessing all throughout the film.

Roddy McDowell gives a nice performance as a survivor of the Houses wrath, going back in for another round. Gayle Hunnicutt is absolutely stunning as the wife of the scientist hired to find out exactly what the secret of the house is. Her shocking and erotic brushes with the "House" are nicely done.

Pamela Franklin also has some rather intense scenes as the religious medium who has probably the most graphic confrontations with the horror behind the House. I didn't find this movie dated much at all, in fact, watching it late at night with all the lights out, I didn't take my eyes off it once. But it's a great haunted house/horror flick with genuine scares and dashes of the erotic.

There's a nice scene where Hunnicutt asks McDowell why there is such a horific presence in the house and McDowell gives a laundry list of horrors that has taken place in the house. Good confrontation at the end, interesting twists, some you see coming, some you don't and some that the movie gives clues to.

Very fun and scary film


5/5 A truly evil haunted house
  by Joker (Michigan)
If you like watching haunted house movies where the scares are plentiful, a lot of the horror is psychological, and the special effects are non-CGI and still believable, then The Legend Of Hell House (1973) is your movie. The movie is based on Richard Matheson's novel "Hell House." The basic story is about four paranormal investigators who investigate Hell House, an old mansion that houses evil and mysterious things. A previous team of eight researchers once visited the house many years earlier and all but one person in the party perished. The movie stars Pamela Franklin (of "The Innocents" and "Satan's School For Girls" fame), Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill, and Gayle Hunnicutt.

The movie wastes little time, as it has this team of investigators arriving at the mansion that they describe as "The Mount Everest of Haunted Houses" right at the beginning of the movie and the action never really lets up from that point on. There is a constant dose of haunted happenings throughout the movie, yet is never overdone. This movie is often compared to The Haunting (1963) because of the similarities in the plots. The Haunting is based on a novel as well (Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting Of Hill House") and also features a team of four paranormal investigators who investigate the haunted happenings inside Hill House in New England. I think the similarities start to erode away as The Legend Of Hell House progresses, and by the end of the movie you'll pretty much forget about the similarities to The Haunting. For one thing, The Haunting was filmed in black and white, whereas The Legend Of Hell House is in color. Black and white was perfect for The Haunting, but in my opinion color was perfect for The Legend Of Hell House. Also, two people die in The Legend Of Hell House, whereas in The Haunting, one person dies. Another thing -- in The Legend Of Hell House, the evilness of the house and its effect on the four people is more apparent and obvious. This is a movie that has a little bit of blood and some disturbing scenes. The haunts are more over the top and obvious compared to The Haunting. Check out the scene when they're eating at the dining room table. Perfect example. Also, the movie has a subtle hint of eroticism and sexuality at times. In addition, the movie's soundtrack is very unique. It's electronic music that is quite "out there" and very simple, yet very effective.

The acting is good in this movie. Hot and sexy Gayle Hunnicutt was perfectly cast as Ann. The scene where she's sleepwalking is a classic. Pamela Franklin ain't so bad either and was great as well. Roddy McDowall gives a great performance, especially at the end of the movie. Clive Revill's performance as the lead scientist is also great.

If you like older haunted house movies that rely on what you don't see more than on blood and guts and have no cheesy CGIs, then this haunted house movie will be right up your alley. This movie has an early '70s feel to it that is hard to describe. Highly recommended.

5/5 Classic Horror At It's Finest
  by Endora Aphrattos (KY, USA)
The Legend Of Hell House is many horror fan's most beloved haunting film of its day. Roddy McDowall and Pamela Franklin star and do fantastic jobs with their roles. Still, being so outdated, it is rather difficult at times to refrain from seeing the characters as anything short of campy. Regardsless, there have been numerous replicas and rip-offs but none compare with the original, which is sadly too often the case. It's about a troup of paranormal investigators/psychics who enter the notoriously dangerous Hell House which once claimed all but one participant in such a previous investigation. Well, at least that's the general idea. Though upon watching the film you'll find the characters will contridict some of that information themselves. I love this film but personally thought the script needed a little more fine tuning.

5/5 The Mount Everest of Haunted House Films
  by The Abominable Doctor Phibes (Western Pennsylvania)
This film, from the genius-mind of Richard Matheson (I Am Legend, Twilight Zone, Duel), is the best of all haunted house films ever committed to celluloid. The screenplay and direction are spare and efficient, building a palpable sense of dread and atmosphere that has us frightened before we set foot in the Belasco Mansion - which we've been told is the "Mount Everest of Haunted Houses" (members of previous expeditionary teams have either died or gone mad while investigating it). The excellent screenplay presents us with a puzzle, true to the haunted house tradition. There is a secret behind the evil that saturates the atmosphere of the house, but can the team (comprised of psychics and a scientist) survive to reveal it? Find out if you dare.

Additional Observations: Notice how all the modern haunted house films disappoint with silly CGI effects (the remake of The Haunting, Rose Red (from Stephen King, who ought to know better - the monsters that are unseen, that play on our imaginations are scariest), and the remake of House on Haunted Hill). The Legend of Hell House uses great writing, acting (Roddy McDowell is brilliant), characterization, music, and extremely limited special effects (hardly worth counting), to build a sense of dread that has us coiled up with fear, wondering what's around the next corner. Plus there's just an intangible chemistry to the way all the film's elements combined that was just pure magic in this film. Rare indeed, especially in this sub-genre. Don't miss it.