Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997)
Legend of Hell House, The

Tagged: Film.

UK movie (1973). Academy/20th Century-Fox. Produced by Albert Fennell, Norman T Herman. Executive producer: James H Nicholson. Directed by John Hough. Special effects: Tom Howard, Roy Whybrow. Screenplay by Richard Matheson. Based on Hell House (1971) by Matheson. Starring: Pamela Franklin (Florence Tanner), Gayle Hunnicutt (Ann Barrett), Roddy McDowall (Ben Fischer), Clive Revill (Dr Lionel Barrett). 94 mins. Colour.

Physicist Lionel Barrett heads a team of three sent by a mysterious magnate to investigate the Belasco house, renowned for the Haunting it has experienced since the 1920s; his wife Ann accompanies. The evil Spirit occupying the Haunted Dwelling essentially plays a Godgame with the quartet, constantly deluding them as to its real nature. Tanner is eventually killed by Poltergeist activity, having been misled into consenting to Sex with a spirit she has misidentified. Barrett uses a Technofantasy device to exorcize the house (see Exorcism), but fails to penetrate the lead-shielded room behind the chapel, from which the vile energy continues to emanate. It is left to Fischer – sole sane survivor of a previous investigation – to overcome his terrors and expose the secret of the original Belasco, thus banishing the spirit.

Matheson's original Supernatural Fiction was a rather directionless mixture of Horror tropes. The movie tightens this up considerably, but still gives the feeling that an attempt has been to throw everything into the cocktail – including a would-be killer black Cat. Even so, the ride, while seeming to lack any clear destination, is a thoroughly enjoyable one; the pseudo-drama-documentary presentation assists in building up the thrills. [JG]