Haunts of the Very Rich

Another well honed TV horror production here, in fact possibly my favorite so far of my present quest. Haunts of the Very Rich is one of those films that rather defies reviewers, the climax is all important yet a cliché set in stone even in its own era, to comment on how the film becomes truly effective would spoil it for those who didn't already figure it out, and to say much about the hints and murmurs of chill that come before would spoil those little details for those who guessed what was going on from the outset but still aimed to be surprised by the films smaller mechanisms. Most of the reviews here make the film somewhat to obvious, so I will simply say that the plot sees seven strangers journey to a luxury resort, wherein the luxury soon becomes something else entirely. The film thrives on character and precisely measured tension, taking some two thirds of its runtime to move up through the gears before the final surge. The writing is often melodramatic, but the cast sells it very well, Lloyd Bridges touching as a lothario with an actual heart, slick superficiality slipping away in likable fashion, Cloris Leachman falls in convincing love, Anne Francis pulls off powerful dejected pathos, Edward Asner brings class to what could have been a bland cliché and Moses Gunn hits the right mellow yet subtly devious notes as the resort host. Now all this class goes a good distance towards keeping the film a solid watch, but it has to be said that things really don't get too noteworthy until the 50 minute mark or so. There are creepy vibes but only one or two jolts, things really are pretty subdued and get going just in time to stave off tedium. However when it all does come together the film becomes a rather terrific affair, genuinely chilling and surprisingly emotional, an ideal reward for what has come before. So all in all this one may not be perfect but as far as its kind go its pretty darned spiffing, essential viewing for TV horror fans and just plain pulp enthusiasts (for the classic story and unexpected touches). So a solid 7/10 from me, but will obviously not be to all tastes.

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.

A very dramatic thriller, a movie that leaves you thinking whether the end can be a possibility in the world we are living, either to believers or non-believers. Filmed with very few FX, and very good scenery, just the necessary dialogs and a plot that seizes you and keeps you stuck to the screen till the end credits. If it can be found it is a collector's item that should be in a collector's shelf. Performing actors are very well chosen and masterly directed to comply with the script requirements. The audience can see many resemblances to known people, living or dead, in each of the characters; and, why not, see their own lives partially or totally depicted in one or more of the characters.

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.