Lack of good storyline.

Better Late Then Never

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The wealthy Mr. Rudolph Deutsch (Roland Culver) promises a small fortune to the physicist Dr. Lionel Barrett (Clive Revill); to the mental medium Florence Tanner (Pamela Franklin); and to the physical parapsychologist Benjamin Franklin Fischer (Roddy McDowall) to investigate survival after death in the notorious Belasco House, a.k.a. Hell House. The house belonged to "Roaring Giant" Emeric Belasco that promoted orgies in the house and had mysteriously disappeared after a massacre. Fischer is the only survival of a previous investigation and the Dr. Barrett goes with his wife Ann Barrett (Gayle Hunnicutt). Along the days, Florence believes that there are entities in the house, including Belasco's son Daniel; Fischer keeps his mind closed expecting only to earn the promised money, and the skeptical Dr. Barrett brings a machine to drain the energy in the house. Will they be successful in their intent? "The Legend of Hell House" is a creepy and atmospheric horror movie with a good story of haunted house. The ghost story is supported in lighting, make-up and camera work and only few special effects and is effective. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "A Casa da Noite Eterna" ("The House of the Eternal Night")

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.

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.

This was filmed in the UK and consciously done so in black and white. I think it was a good choice. The directing is well done, the acting is very good, and the special effects are kept to a minimum and are basic. Two psychics, one the only survivor of a previous attempt to find out about the house, the other young woman. There is also a scientist and his wife. The scientist has brought a machine that is suppose to remove any ghostly presence. As things progress the evil of the house manifests itself in various ways. It attacks the woman psychic a couple of times and goes after the wife. They find a shackled, dessicated body at one point. The malevolent spirit fools them into believing it is the ghost of his son. The scientist eventually runs his machine and it doesn't work. The scientist is killed in a bizarre ethereal attack. Roddy McDowall is the survivor from the first time and he finally has it figured out. He turned the on again and this time it gets rid of the badness.