I've always found THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE rather strange . I first saw it round about 1982 when it was broadcast on ITV and discussing it with my school mates the next day we all thought it was rubbish . However it still still stuck out in my mind for some reason and I still watch it when it's broadcast on television and my opinion is that it's still a very disappointing film even though I get the instinct to watch it again
The opening is very effective with scientist Barret being paid a massive amount of money ( In those days ) to spend a week in a haunted house . What makes the opening so effective is the way director John Hough shoots the pre title sequence - Moody and atmospheric are very understated adjectives and having one of the characters being collected from a train station does give the movie some credibility . A character hanging around a cold and dreary train station ! Cinema doesn't get more realistic than this . However as soon as the characters arrive at the house things start going awry , not only to the characters but for a critical audience .
First of all how many people do you know that are allowed to take their spouse to work ? I can't really get my head around this for some reason . I also couldn't take Florence Tanner seriously either , I mean she's so young I thought she'd need permission from her parents to stay out late never mind spend a week at a haunted house . It also doesn't help that Ms Tanner is known as a " Mental medium " since the word " Mental " means in British slang a violent looney . And isn't there something illogical about " Physical medium " Ben Fisher ? He survived the previous events at Hell House but has no qualms about going back . He must be insanely brave , or insanely greedy for 100 grand , or it could be that he's an obvious literary device used by the screenwriter for exposition purposes
That's probably my main gripe with the movie - the screenplay . I do know that writer Richard Matheson is a legend and I have the deepest respect for most of his output but THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE seems underdeveloped . The characters arrive at the house but with the exception of a dinner table scene nothing that can be described as really nasty takes place . This also ties in with internal continuity and logic . Eight people that Ben Fisher was with died previously at the house but apart from the dinner scene previously mentioned the characters never look like they're going to be in mortal peril from the ghostly spectre . It should also be pointed out that if a bunch of people had come to a sticky end in the house they'd be gangs of policemen , forensic scientists , newspaper hounds and ghoulish members of the public swarming all over the location but for plot convenience the house and grounds are completely deserted , too deserted to be taken seriously for a mass murder site
So for the most part THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE is slow , dull and full of plot holes . There are a small number of massive positives like the early scenes and Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson's bone chilling muzak ( Ms Derbyshire composed the DOCTOR WHO theme . Enough said ) which do linger in the mind and gives this movie a sublime reputation as a moody spine chiller when memory brings it up . But to be honest it's a disappointing film when re-watched
The opening is very effective with scientist Barret being paid a massive amount of money ( In those days ) to spend a week in a haunted house . What makes the opening so effective is the way director John Hough shoots the pre title sequence - Moody and atmospheric are very understated adjectives and having one of the characters being collected from a train station does give the movie some credibility . A character hanging around a cold and dreary train station ! Cinema doesn't get more realistic than this . However as soon as the characters arrive at the house things start going awry , not only to the characters but for a critical audience .
First of all how many people do you know that are allowed to take their spouse to work ? I can't really get my head around this for some reason . I also couldn't take Florence Tanner seriously either , I mean she's so young I thought she'd need permission from her parents to stay out late never mind spend a week at a haunted house . It also doesn't help that Ms Tanner is known as a " Mental medium " since the word " Mental " means in British slang a violent looney . And isn't there something illogical about " Physical medium " Ben Fisher ? He survived the previous events at Hell House but has no qualms about going back . He must be insanely brave , or insanely greedy for 100 grand , or it could be that he's an obvious literary device used by the screenwriter for exposition purposes
That's probably my main gripe with the movie - the screenplay . I do know that writer Richard Matheson is a legend and I have the deepest respect for most of his output but THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE seems underdeveloped . The characters arrive at the house but with the exception of a dinner table scene nothing that can be described as really nasty takes place . This also ties in with internal continuity and logic . Eight people that Ben Fisher was with died previously at the house but apart from the dinner scene previously mentioned the characters never look like they're going to be in mortal peril from the ghostly spectre . It should also be pointed out that if a bunch of people had come to a sticky end in the house they'd be gangs of policemen , forensic scientists , newspaper hounds and ghoulish members of the public swarming all over the location but for plot convenience the house and grounds are completely deserted , too deserted to be taken seriously for a mass murder site
So for the most part THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE is slow , dull and full of plot holes . There are a small number of massive positives like the early scenes and Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson's bone chilling muzak ( Ms Derbyshire composed the DOCTOR WHO theme . Enough said ) which do linger in the mind and gives this movie a sublime reputation as a moody spine chiller when memory brings it up . But to be honest it's a disappointing film when re-watched