One of the most popular Old Dark House films of the 1970s, with a charismatic cast, led by Roddy McDowall, and genre master Richard Matheson adapting his own novel. In a time when Horror films were daring each other to include more violence, this one plays a game of shadows and anxious anticipation. It’s probably THE haunted mansion movie between The Haunting and The Shining, and yet I’ve never been able to get on its wavelength.
It’s very serious, yet the events are increasingly silly. There are shocking bits of violence and sexuality that go against the suggestive tone, as if the director was battling the producer over what kind of film was being made. The beginning is impressively efficient, and the end seems to be rushing through, as if discarding scenes just to keep up the pace. I’ve watched the film three times, and I know I will watch it again. One of those cases where there’s too much evidence against my personal opinion.
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