cjs6547 If you see this after you see "The Haunting" (1963), you'll recognize this to be a somewhat flaky adaptation of the original brilliant work. While the photography is stunning, everything else falls short. Character development is deplorable, the plot is at times overdressed and at others simplified to the point of stupidity, and the scares are by modern AND classic standards, not that scary.Dr. Barrett and Ann Barrett, the two lead investigators are uninteresting characters, offering little to no wisdom or insight and deliver dull insipid performances much like their supposed sex life in the movie. By the end I sympathized with Tanner for throwing that paranormal tantrum at Dr. Barrett, and Tanner, well she's a whole new class of two-dimensional. She remains entrenched in her own convictions while making one stupid decision after another, to the point where you actually want to believe she's on to something to allow the movie more depth than it actually has. Fischer is the only interesting one of the bunch, and that's because he remains aloof and observant throughout the movie. By the end he does deliver a commendable performance, but the plot by then has devolved into something absurd. Still he makes the best of what he is left to work with.There are no explanations to the REAL questions. Who is the corpse tied in the dungeon, what bearing does Bolesco's colorful crimes have on the story, what in Tanner's history enables her to fall in love with a spirit, why was Dr Barrett attacked in the living room when all spirit influence had been removed from there, and why does the knowledge of Bolesco's height complex allow them to find him?IF you want to experience the REAL horrors of Hell House, watch the Haunting.

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE postulates. The characters in this movie toss around a lot of big words such as "sadism" and "necrophilia," but it's a classic case of "bait and switch." When push comes to shove, an audience propelled onto the edge of their seats by an effectively creepy music score and multiple "fog machines" is left with no bigger thrill than the sticky gross-out of the mummified used gum of yesteryear lurking at their fingertips on the bottom of their theater pews. The nudity here is always implied, never real. Violent deaths may occur by the dozen in HELL HOUSE, but they're all off-camera, usually described in exposition of long-ago events. When the curtain is finally pulled away to reveal HELL HOUSE's Wizrd of Ahhhs, we get a hapless stiff instead of what should be an eerily spry 94-year-old (after all, that's the age someone born in 1879 such as "Emerick Belasco" would actually be in 1973, when this flick is set). Talk about a let-down. Had Emerick simply wriggled his little finger, it would have out-weighed all the pseudo-scientific Mumbo Jumbo thrown at us in this DULL HOUSE.

LeonLouisRicci There are Three Haunted House Movies from the Pre-CGI Era that are Usually Mentioned as Favorites. The House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Haunting (1963), and This One. All are Solid Entries on Anyones List, but Here, Richard Matheson's Screenplay from His Book Hell House is an Abbreviated Version and the Movie Suffers with its Condensed Composite. Things Seem Rushed and Not Fully Fleshed Out and this is One of those Movies where if Opened Up a Bit and was Longer would have Made it a Much More Satisfying Experience. As it is the Film is just too Short and Nothing has Time to Settle and Make its Mark Endellable.As is, the Movie is a Very Good Ghost Story with a Heavy Dose of Sex and Debauchery that Emerges Quite Often and Adds to the Creepiness. Pamela Franklin's Young Medium Endures the Brunt of it but Everyone Must Deal with the Sinister Sensuality. There is a Good Soundtrack and a Willing Cast, Including a Very Creepy Roddy McDowell, and Gayle Hunnicutt is Along and Suffers Some Humiliation. The Atmosphere is Appropriately Ominous, but the Ending is a Letdown. What with the Scientific "Box" and a Good Deal of Shouting Explanations, the Movie Comes to a Clunky Conclusion.

prguy721 The Legend of Hell House was released the same year as the grand-daddy of horror films, The Exorcist, so it quietly slipped through the cracks. But it should not be overlooked as a most effective and entertaining movie that combines suspense, bumps in the night and eroticism without overdoing the gore. It also features fine performances, especially that of Pamela Franklin, and an above-average haunted-house story line. Hell House will keep you guessing all the way to the end. Something interesting to note is that apparently the MPAA hasn't reviewed the film since its release when it was given a PG rating. By today's standards, Hell House would definitely be rated PG-13.