Das Haus im Nebel

One of my alltime favorite movies to obsess over in the darkened wee hours of the morning has always been MURDER MANSION, or La Mansión de la niebla, a 1972 Spanish/Italian co-production encompassing elements of the supernatural thriller, giallo-style murder mystery, and a delicious take on the old Haunted House formula that continues to deliver the intoxicatingly arty, atmospheric thrills more than thirty years later.

THE PLOT: A seemingly diverse group of couples and ne're do wells end up sharing a deserted mansion in the middle of nowhere to escape a fog-bound night that effectively traps them in a setting totally cut off from the outside world. Andres Resino, his hair grown in hippie-style after playing a globe trotting Interpol agent in the Paul Naschy classic WEREWOLF VS THE VAMPIRE WOMAN, makes a convincing lead as a thrill-seeking motorcyclist traveling with the always delightful Evelyn Stewart through the mountains of southern Italy when a shortcut through a legendary, mysterious valley takes a turn for the worse and the pair find themselves stranded at the aforemention mansion with an otherwise improbable collection if cult Eurohorror supporting actors & actresses [Alberto Dalbes, Analie Gade, Analise Nardi and frequent Jess Franco actor Eduardo Fajardo] who, for one reason or another, have found themselves in a similar pickle. They bicker, split up into handily furnished bedrooms and retire to wait out the foggy night.

Fortunately, the mansion is situated right next to a creepy, terminally fog-enshrouded graveyard where not all of the corpses seem content to rest in piece, and mayhem ensues as the ghosts of the sole survivors of a vampire massacre start to walk the earth to harrangue the impromptu guests of their former mansion. To say anything more specific about the plot would ruin the fun for those who have never seen it: Rest assured, however, that MURDER MANISON does indeed live up to it's name & reputation, weaving together such elements as a creepy family legend, a bodiless head, a hanging corpse, the zombie Oddjob like cheauffer of a deceased aristocratic Contessa, and a brutal finale that results in madness & a respectable body count in what is essentially a bloodless shocker who's parts add up to far more than you might expect.

I am especially drawn to the film's tight, spare but visually rich cinematography & camerawork. There is quite simply not a single unnecessary shot or scene in the film [at least in the forms that still exist], with a prowling camera that draws the viewer into the story in a way that goes beyond merely documenting Luis G. de Blaine's wonderful screenplay -- another one of those lower budgeted Eurohorror efforts that seems to have been inspired by a SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU? cartoon of one sort or another. Indeed the movie has the look of the panels of a "graphic novel" or cartoon, with each scene dripping with atmospheric set decoration & camerawork stressing color compositions and mood. The film has a modern day setting but is total Gothic Horror at it's best, with delightful touches like the horrifying artwork festooning the walls of the various bedrooms that only a thoroughly tranquilized person could sleep next to, a gorgeous duplicitous femme fatale with lesbian overtones to her concerns for one of the "guests" in particular, and above all else, FOG.

What MURDER MANSION's makers may have had to skimp on budget-wise as far as technical or location expenses is more than made up for in the foggiest & most beautifully lit spaces filled with fog that I have ever seen. MURDER MANSION is a great study on how to use fog, actually, in a way that contributes to a movie's production design rather than obscuring it -- Whole scenes are dominated by an almost suffocating murkiness that you could metaphorically cut with a knife, yet even with the plot's emphasis on using the fog as a device it never becomes a cheapended, gimmicky effect. There's fog outside, inside & under this old house, and as one character literally phrases it, they all seem to have entered a different world that is unreal or supernatural in nature.

Of additional cult interest is the presence of the mysterious Ingrid Garbo, one of the famous "Greek Chorus" of sexually vivacious Vampire Playgirls featured in the likewise Paul Naschy fanger COUNT DRACULA'S GREAT LOVE, though sadly her bedsheet stays firmly in place during her one scene ... But she still exudes the seedy sluttiness that made her such a delightful presence in Naschy's movie, and it looks to me as though some of the interior shots from MURDER MANSION were staged in the same house used to film that classic favorite. Dunno though: after a couple hundred movies some of these houses start to look identical or hard to tell apart, and that is kind of the point of how the mansion is used by Polop & company: It is an archytipical setting for what starts out as a very stereotypical Eurohorror, but changes gear in the fourth act & throws the viewers a curve ball that spins off of the conventions they are used to from similar efforts populated by fog, undead vampire victims & femme fatale female vixens.

And the best part about MURDER MANSION is that it is a FUN movie; watching it is a wonderful study in Eurohorror, adding elements from so many different sources that what it ends up as has little or nothing to do with the different conventions employed to tell it's story -- Some viewers may be disappointed with the literal resolution of the story, but I think it just plays into the SCOOBY DOO nature of the story's origins, complete with Meddling Kids who work as sort of Mystery Investigators, if you like, who just want to get to the bottom of the story. Well cast and brimming with memorable images & moments, this is a Eurohorror effort that stands apart from the rest by being so plot & visual-oriented, with no outrageous sex or violence sequences for viewers to dwell over and otherwise distract them from the sheer enjoyment of just watching this movie and letting it happen onscreen as it will.

While this may be partly the result of the English language form that is most commonly known being cut, there doesn't really have seemed to be a lot of room in the script for bizarre violence & sex, and for my money this movie is suitable as-is for viewers of any age who like good movies, horror buff or no. MURDER MANSION is readily available in what I have found to be two distinctly different versions: Both are full frame presentations, the first apparently sourced from masters derived from the 83 minute version released in 1986 by Charter Video on VHS and available from Incredibly Strange Film Works on an excellent Codefree DVD release, with a similar transfer also found on Brentwood Home Video's HELL IN THE FAMILY two DVD box set, backed with the infamous US edit of IT HAPPENED AT NIGHTMARE INN by the great Sergio Martino. Both versions run about 83 minutes and look fabulous, appearing to have been sourced from actual studio master reels and not an old VHS tape. But the standout release is another surprise from our acid eatin' freakazoid buddies at Something Weird Video , who have their own 16mm film print that clocks in at 85 minutes & 30 odd seconds, and has some additional lesbian innuendo and some additional creepy footage from the movie's shock sequences that Charter apparently found inappropriate for their likewise unrated release. At most this film would garner a PG rating even with what is present, but the possibility of other excised footage does exist, and doubtlessly there is longer Spanish and/or Italian language release that may or may not have been prepared for home video at some point, though none is described.

Seek out that Something Weird Video VHS! But even if only one of the DVD releases or an old Charter video is within your grasp, you are guaranteed a movie that will demand repeat viewings & is guaranteed to become a favorite, even if the vampire fangs stay off in this one.

The Bottom Line: ***1/2 [out of a possible ****] SQ040703

1972's "The Murder Mansion" aka "Maniac Mansion" is a coproduction between Spain ("La Mansion de la Niebla" or The Mansion of the Mists) and Italy ("Quando Marta Urlo dalla Tomba" or When Marta Screamed from the Grave), exterior shooting outside Madrid, impressive fog shrouded interiors on Italian sets. A rather protracted opening with five people in three vehicles engaged in a spot of highway chicken before the narrative thrust centers on Analia Gade's Elsa, whose wealth is the only thing that binds her to faithless husband Ernest (Alberto Dalbes). Hard drinking Porter (Franco Fantasia) picks up comely hitchhiker Laura (Anna Lisa Nardi), only to lose her to motorcyclist Fred (Andres Resino), while Elsa's attorney Tremont (Eduardo Fajardo) and wife (Ylena Samarina) insist on a late night journey through a treacherous fog that finds all six stuck together in a desolate mansion near an abandoned cemetery. The owner is a beautiful young woman, Martha Clinton (Evelyn Stewart), relating tales of how a series of vampire attacks drove off all the local villagers, and how her own grandmother (whose portrait hangs above the fireplace) died with her chauffeur in a car crash 30 years earlier. None of this sits well with an increasingly agitated Elsa, who first met Fred and Laura while running away from specters approaching through the mist, the apparent ghosts of the long dead duo. We also see flashbacks to Elsa's student days, jealous of her father's affair with a schoolmate and still harboring a certain incestuous resentment that eventually plays out in unexpected fashion. Before that climactic burst there's atmosphere to spare but little spark until the final third, when Fred's opportune snooping reveals a haunting being conducted with tape recordings and a number of disguises, but who's doing it and why? A distinct lack of real supernatural forces may prove a letdown for first time viewers, but on this occasion patience has its reward with plenty of corpses piling up in the final reel. Better known in Italy as Ida Galli, Evelyn Stewart was no stranger to Mario Bava, in both "Hercules in the Haunted World" and "The Whip and the Body," then a costarring role opposite John Drew Barrymore in "War of the Zombies," while German-born blonde Ingrid Garbo contributes some eye candy in an almost naked cameo that can't compare with her fanged femininity in Paul Naschy's "Count Dracula's Great Love" (as Elsa's elderly father, Jorge Rigaud was just coming off "Horror Express," opposite Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing).

Watched this film titled as Murder Mansion on sub-cheapo Brentwood DVD set called Hell In the Family. Must originally have been from a TV print, because there is no nudity and almost no violence to speak of. Most annoying are the choppy jumps in the film where the violence and nudity belong.

Pity, because the filming of "Mansion of the Fog/Cloud" is really top notch. Fantastic saturated colors ala Mario Bava. Great sets. Decent budget. Decent acting. Great looking damsels in distress. But that is about it.

Too much of the film is missing for the movie to flow well. Too many plot holes. Too many scenes that are suddenly cut.

On the plus side though, Murder Mansion is still a very nice looking movie - lots of atmosphere, and still fairly interesting despite the chopped scenes. Buying the Brentwood DVD set costs less than renting. Bonus in the set is another weird Spanish film - A Veil for the Devil - which is presented as It Happened At Nightmare Inn - also missing the violence and nudity, but still pretty creepy. Both films would be good little cult flicks if someone could scare up intact prints.

The main ingredient in a Giallo film I like best is the story. Usually, these are well thought out revenge thrillers, with loads of twists, red-herrings, and a hint of the supernatural. This film has all the above and more.

I liked the way the writers, Luis G De Blain and Antonio Troiso, pull the attention of the audience into the story from the first frame. The hook of the Biker and the Hitchhiking Damsel snags you right away. You start thinking, what will happen? This interesting and intriguing segue is only to introduce the characters to each other... and the audience.

Then we meet a group of friends who have urgent business to conduct. They journey out of their home for the meeting and drive straight into the thickest fog they've seen. Around this time, the Biker and the Damsel ride into the same peasouper. This is where the writers start to throw in some supernatural - or not - elements. A man walking along the roadside. Nothing unusual there, except he wears a wide-brimmed hat and is carrying a long staffed scythe. Shot in silhouette, he is a spooky character indeed.

This is only the start. Things get stranger and darker as we progress through the film. If this story cannot keep your interest, then you have ADD. This is one of the better and more intricate Giallo films I've watched.

The one thing I wasn't fond of in the story was the ending. If I had written the tale, I would have opted to go for more of a horror style climax and not the thriller ending. For me, it wasn't as satisfying as the rest of the movie.

I was thankful that the director, Francisco Lara Polop, was skilled enough to keep the story smooth. It would have been easy to create confusion. This adds another great ingredient. Unlike the horror films and thrillers being shot in America and England, the Spanish and Italian liked to play with the rhythms of the pacing. This variation allows for the creation of tension and excitement within the film's atmosphere. Though Polop isn't a master at this, he does enough to keep it engaging.

The cast does their bits admirably and keeps their characters believable, relatable, and a little mysterious. You're never too sure what's happening or who is to blame, if anyone. I will also pay respect to the voice talents and the dubbing masters. Most Giallo films are dubbed into English and luckily for the audience, the voices match the actor. At times, it's the actual actor or actress who voices their character in English. At other times, it's a different actor or actress. The main culprits of bad dubs, from this era, were Japan and China. Some pair-ups and voiceovers were risible. Though I have yet to find an Italian or Spanish production with such low dubbing production values. So don't let the fact it's dubbed put you off watching this screen gem.

Though this isn't a horror film, as such, I would recommend it to all horror fans as well as the Giallo aficionados, Thriller followers, and Chiller fans. This is well worth a watch, and it has made it onto my watch again pile. So turn off the lights, settle down with a warm drink, and enjoy.

Ratings: Story 1.5 : Direction 1.5 : Pace 1.25 : Acting 1.25 : Enjoyment 1.5 : Total 7 / 10

Now bike on over to my Killer Chiller Thrillers and The Game Is Afoot lists to see where this spooky picture ranked.

Take Care and Stay Well.

Lost in a sudden, thick fog, various motorists end up stranded at the MANIAC MANSION (aka: THE MURDER MANSION) for the night. Weirdness ensues, with lumbering specters and the apparent absence of geographic location.

Once inside the manor, things get even more odd, when the travelers meet Martha Clinton (Evelyn Stewart) who spins tales of local vampirism and ancestral witchcraft. There's also her giant chauffeur lurking about the grounds! Just where have these people wound up?

MM is a wonderfully creepy movie, with the perfect setting. There's a cemetery right outside, and labyrinthine catacombs beneath the sprawling estate.

Filled with an atmosphere of perpetual gloom, it plays like an extended episode of Rod Serling's NIGHT GALLERY. This is also the movie's biggest weakness, as it could have had about 20 minutes shaved off. It tends to go down some rabbit holes, like over-long flashback sequences and supernatural angles that don't add up.

Otherwise, it's a highly enjoyable cavalcade of ghoulish goulash with a nice double cross, double twist ending!

Co-stars the breathtaking Lisa Leonardi as Lisa...