The Legend of Hell House (1973, John Hough)
Friends who are aware of my fondness for horror films often ask me, “what is the best horror movie you’ve ever seen?” I don’t know if it is the finest, but The Legend of Hell House is definitely the creepiest film I’ve seen – no matter how many times I’ve watched it, this British production always gets under my skin. This ominous chiller is about a group of experts on paranormal activity that are hired to prove, once and for all, that evil spirits haunt a famous mansion; the place is affectionately known as “Hell House.” At one point, a character says that Hell House is “the Mount Everest of haunted houses,” and I think this film is the Mount Everest of haunted house movies. In terms of suspense and hair-raising horrors, the film kicks the ghostly butts of films like The Haunting and The Others.
Unlike many shockers, the chills are achieved without showing much. There is hardly any blood, violence, or gore, and the horrors are mostly implied, but just try to get this movie out of your head – you just can’t! It is truly remarkable how this film embraces all known haunted house clichés, renovate them, and reintroduce the old tricks in a totally fresh, invigorating manner. Maestro of the misterioso Richard Matheson’s screenplay is so tightly constructed that if you sneeze, you will miss something really important. Every line of dialogue serves a purpose, every scene is essential to the development of the plot. His script is a model of economy, wasting absolutely no time, and grabbing the attention of the viewer from beginning to end.
I would have liked to see a bit more interaction between the characters, but the actors are great in suggesting things that the script doesn’t have time to explore. Roddy McDowall’s reluctant medium is the highlight of the film, but Pamela Franklin is also superb as a young psychic. Clive Revill and Gayle Hunnicutt are also part of the small but talented cast. The locations amount to just a few a few rooms but the ensemble cast and the technical crew work hard to turn these limitations into assets; the claustrophobic, unbearable tense atmosphere of the piece, helps make the house another, very important character. Add director John Hough’s skilful handling of negative spaces to the gloomy ambiance (cameraman Alan Hume deserves praise for his fine work), and you have one spooky film. The ending is a beauty and a real surprise.
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