Haunts of the Very Rich

Well-regarded ABC movie-of-the-week involves a group of seemingly disparate airplane passengers (including a malcontent from the Bronx, a priest, a newlywed couple, and a homely spinster who blossoms after a makeover) who have either responded to an advertisement or were led unawares aboard a flight to a mysterious destination; once they land in a tropical, isolated paradise, the question is why were they chosen to be there--and how will they ever get back home. Familiar cast of faces from TV do satisfactory work, though they bicker endlessly with each other and come up with colorless, vacant characterizations. Writer William Wood, working from T.K. Brown III's original story, steers the melodrama to a 'shocking' conclusion, but much of his dialogue is overwrought. As the island host who mysteriously vanishes, Moses Gunn might have been the template for Ricardo Montalban's future Mr. Roarke, but no fantasies are produced here.

I liked this film very much. However I take issue with the credit 'Story by T.K. Brown.' This is NOT an original story; it was lifted from the play 'Outward Bound' by Sutton Vane.

Having given credit where it is due, the premise is very simple: Seven (7) vacationers are on an airplane bound for a mysterious resort called 'The Portals of Eden'. A newlywed couple, a married woman in recovery from a nervous condition; a Clergyman experiencing a crisis of faith; a businessman on the wrong plane; a single, insecure woman; A lusty man traveling alone whose marital status is in question. They are all about to experience the vacation of a lifetime...

Viewing this film 40 years later, I am sentimental because I love the entire cast: they are immortalized in their prime and I thought they all did a terrific job. Robert Reed is the stand out for me; his character, the Reverend Fellows, is mostly in the background until the last 20 minutes or so. It is Mr. Bridges's, Ms. Leachman's and Mr. Asner's characters who move the story forward throughout most of the film with the participation of Ms. Francis's, Ms. Mills's and Mr. Bill's characters who are all followers.

Mr. Reed then takes the helm and his character provides a most powerful and moving soliloquy vital to the plot to help the story towards closure.

I found this movie a bit 'Haunting' as the title suggests; it does what a good movie should do, it stays with you after it is over. I give this a 9 out of 10.

The more experienced and knowledgeable fans of the horror genre will undoubtedly agree with me when I state that pretty much all the great cinematic horror classics, whether from the US or outside of American borders, have already been re-discovered and released in fancy deluxe DVD editions. The only market segment where you can still occasionally stumble upon a genuinely original, surprising and completely undiscovered hidden horror gem is in the TV-movie archives of the 1970's. I often don't comprehend where they keep coming from, but this era produced literally dozens and dozens of worthwhile and even downright terrific horror material. "Haunts of the very Rich" is a typical one of these lost treasures. Never heard about it before, but the cast and crew are excellent and the synopsis promises a story that is both absorbing and unsettling. A group of people, all strangers to each other, meet on a luxurious airplane on their way to a holiday resort. Nobody really knows exactly how they ended up there, most of them certainly didn't plan to be there, and the longer they are there, more mysteries gradually unfold. I will naturally not reveal the "twist-ending", even though several of the reviews around here bluntly do so, but I can at least confirm that it is unique, macabre and groundbreaking. That is to say, if you manage to place it in its time and surrounding, because nowadays the ultimate theme of the film has been overdone and endlessly exploited. Furthermore is "Haunts of the Very Rich" worth checking out for the excellent cast alone already. Specialist company ABC and experienced TV-movie director Paul Wendkos, who also made "The Legend of Lizzie Borden" and "Good against Evil", managed to enlist names like Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Anne Francis, Robert Reed and Donna Mills. If you can find it anywhere, don't hesitate.

For a TV movie, this was pretty darn spooky. Reminded me of The Haunting of Hill House -- the 60s original, in terms of dread, not style. To be able to infuse a modern setting with hopeless fear is a real accomplishment. It was the first time I saw Ed Asner in a role I liked, he's grim and believable, as he was much later in Rich Man, Poor Man.

This movie is on a TV-type level of seriousness, not what is carried off in main cinema. Lloyd Bridges, for instance, is a TV show type of guy, and he's playing a major role. But his part and Chloris Leachman's are very pleasing. It is because the story is good enough to conjure up dread, and the characters are likable that I remember this movie years later; I wish I could see it again.

HAUNTS OF THE VERY RICH begins on a charter flight to The Portals Of Eden, which is a secret destination kept from the passengers.

Upon arrival, the group, including a grumpy, bigoted businessman (Ed Asner), a disillusioned priest (Robert Reed), a burned out socialite (Anne Francis), an unfaithfully married playboy (Lloyd Bridges), a newlywed couple (Tony Bill and Donna Mills), and a lonely woman (Cloris Leachman), find themselves in a veritable paradise, where they're met by a mysterious man named Seacrist (Moses Gunn).

At first, everything is like a dream come true. Then, odd things commence- a snake in a bed, a tropical storm, a power / phone outage, etc. In no time, what was a perfect heaven on earth changes into a jungle hell! With the extreme heat and humidity, everyone is on edge. Some, far more than others.

Isolated and growing desperate, nothing goes right. More bizarre, even deadly things take place. What is happening? Where are these people... really?

HOTVR is another wonderful made-for-TV movie from the 1970's. Some have compared it to FANTASY ISLAND and / or the TWILIGHT ZONE. Toss NIGHT GALLERY or CIRCLE OF FEAR into the mix as well, as there's more horror than anything else. Very well-done with a great finale...