“Although the story of this film is fictitious, the events depicted involving psychic phenomena are not only very much within the bounds of possibility, but could very well be true.” – Tom Corbett – Clairvoyant and Psychic Consultant to European Royalty
These words open up quite possibly one of the most soul-stirring haunted house movies ever made; a PG-rated classic from 1973 that never seems to get its due when discussing horror films in the subgenre, and one that nails the atmospheric requirements flawlessly. It’s been five decades since the release of The Legend of Hell House, and it deserves celebration.
The film’s foundation lies in the frightening novel by Richard Matheson, one of the best science fiction writers to ever exist. Matheson was responsible for many sci-fi all-timers, like What Dreams May Come and The Incredible Shrinking Man, but occasionally, the American author would dip his toes into the horror realm, and within it, would produce classic stories that would be adapted in Hollywood many times, including I Am Legend, Stir of Echoes, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, and of course, 1971’s Hell House.
Matheson’s screenplay would be picked up by Fox and helmed by John Hough, an English filmmaker who dabbled back-and-forth between horror and adventure movies in the 1970s, creating horrific thrillers like Twins of Evil and Sudden Terror, but also family-friendly movies like Treasure Island and Escape to Witch Mountain.
The Legend of Hell House fell right in the middle, which checks out, with the film’s leashed gore in comparison to both its source material and other films in the subgenre. Hough’s career seemed to fizzle by 2001, but not before he returned to the horror genre with The Incubus (1981) and Howling VI: The Original Nightmare.
The cast was a plethora of decently-known character actors that brought their individual styles to the small, intimate group of investigators. Led by Roddy McDowall (Fright Night, Planet of the Apes), the rest of the group consisted of Gayle Hunnicutt (Marlowe), Pamela Franklin (The Innocents), Clive Revell (The Empire Strikes Back), Roland Culver (Dead of Night), Peter Bowles (Sudden Terror), and the voice of Michael Gough, everyone’s favorite Alfred Pennyworth.
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While The Legend of Hell House adaptation wasn’t exactly able to conjure up the graphic, nightmare-inducing words of Matheson’s novel, veteran cinematographer Alan Hume (Lifeforce, Return of the Jedi) was able to create a brooding atmosphere, bringing Hell House to life, and never letting the audience or the characters see what could be lurking in the shadows. There’s a particular scene when the group enters the house that belongs on the all-time best horror camera shots list.
There were so many shots and ideas that were reminiscent of William Friedkin’s The Exorcist, which wouldn’t be released for another six months. The creep factor was all brought together with a chilling score by Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson, the duo that created the original theme music for Doctor Who.
But, The Legend of Hell House’s true greatness comes from its story. The ideas of scientific facts vs. faith, or believers vs. non-believers hadn’t really been explored much in film, and while we as the audience could see what was happening in the film, the actors were so into their roles, that the non-believers were almost convincing.
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An interwoven mystery of who exactly was haunting the house, and how to help the ghosts move on flowed between each of the characters’ interactions, and Dr. Lionel Barrett (Revill) is so convinced that his scientific theories and machine will purge any possible energies, that he underestimates the spirits at the cost of his comrades’ lives.
And each character that became possessed the ghost had to create a second, unsettling persona.
The idea that the spirits’ connections to the house were caused due to the location being used for debauchery (drugs, alcohol, sex, etc.) along with vampirism and murder, was a great move in giving the location its own personality. Hell House itself was straight-up terrifying.
Granted, while the movie didn’t go nearly as hard as similarly-themed films in decades to come, it was quite a bit more graphic and disturbing than other haunted house films around the time, including House on Haunted Hill or Burnt Offerings. For 1973, there were plenty of glass shards going into faces, murderous cats, and late-night, sexually frustrated, ghost-chomped bite marks to satisfy even today’s horror fans.
The film certainly feels unique in its bleakness and doesn’t have a happy ending. Again, something that wasn’t extremely common in the early ‘70s.
While I’m a huge fan of Matheson’s novel, I had never seen The Legend of Hell House until celebrating its 50th birthday. Now, I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to see such an innovative film and obvious inspiration in the haunted house subgenre. If you haven’t seen it (or you haven’t read the book), I highly suggest you do the same.
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