Hell is Other People

The Legend of Hell House (1973) went on our list due to the Netflix Haunting of Hill House series (which, by the way, we started watching but gave up - too generic, not enough Shirley Jackson). Someone compared the story to the 1963 movie to the series, and threw this one in as a side note. So we watched it.

It starts with psychic researcher Clive Revill getting the assignment to bring back proof of life after death from an eccentric tycoon. He immediately recruits mental medium Pamela Franklin and physical medium Roddy McDowell to spend a week in the “Mount Everest of haunted houses, Bellasco House”. All members of previous expeditions to this house had died, except Roddy McDowell, who was left a little peculiar. Revill also takes his wife, Gayle Hunnicut.

The house set is certainly both sumptuous and spooky. It was built by “Beast” Bellasco, a sadistic, perverted murderer and cannibal, who disappeared in the house and may haunt it still. Our intrepid researchers get chandeliers dropped on them and all the usual, plus Hunnicut gets a bit possessed by a sexy spirit. Franklin thinks the spirit haunting the place is Bellasco’s bastard child, and McDowell mostly just wants to hunker down and survive.

There isn’t that much of Shirley Jackson in this, although the makeup of the party does have some similarities. There are some twists to the plot, some scares and a body count. But mostly I thought it had a nice glossy 70s Euro look - fun and attractive. As long as you don’t try to compare it to Jackson’s book or movie.