The House That Would Not Die

The House That Would Not Die is a solid TV-film that could have been stronger had screenwriters stuck closer to Barbara Michael's excellent supernatural suspense novel, "Ammie, Come Home." Michael's story is set in Washington, D.C.; Ruth, a Department of Commerce official, has lived in a Georgetown row house for some years after inheriting it from a distant cousin. There is no ghostly presence until Ruth's niece Sara moves in with her to attend a nearby university. Sara first hears a voice in the night calling "Ammie, come home," but aunt & niece decide it's a neighbor calling a lost pet. When Ruth meets one of Sara's professors, the adventurous son of a famous Washington hostess (a character based on Marjorie Merriwether Post), the ghostly presences intensify & become violent. By using entries in the family Bible and searching old newspapers & archives, the 4 major characters (Ruth, the professor--who becomes her love interest--Sara & her boyfriend) piece together the tragic tale of the house's original builder & his daughter, Amanda. During the Revolution, Amanda's father was a royalist but Amanda fell in love with a young officer in the American army. When her father discovered they were about to elope, he killed them & buried the bodies in the basement of his house. He lived there as a recluse until he was killed when the house burned. Relatives (Ruth's ancestors) inherited the land & built a new house, never knowing what had happened. After young Sara moved in, the spirits of Amanda & her father began to re-enact their tragedy endlessly. It is the disembodied voice of Amanda's lover calling, "Ammie, come home."

Why the writers moved the film to Amish country in Pennsylvania is a mystery, unless they figured in 1970 Washington had enough problems & didn't need any more ghosts. Having Ruth occupy the house only as the film begins robs the novel's story line of a major point: that Ruth had lived there for some years with no sign of supernatural activity. The sudden appearance of a voice crying in the night is, in the novel, an unexpected, vaguely ominous occurrence,which Ruth & Sara assume is a neighbor. That there are neighbors in Georgetown highlights a second point in the novel that is weakened by the shift to Pennsylvania: a setting in highly civilized, urbane Georgetown makes supernatural events seem even more incongruous with everyday life than the film's rural setting in Pennsylvania, where the house's isolation, like Hill House in "The Haunting," seems to invite every ghost within shouting distance. (Why are these houses always 'way out in the country?)

Despite inferior adaptation from the novel, performances & production values in The House That Would Not Die are exceptional in every way. Stanwyck & Egan are physically perfect for the characters described in "Ammie, Come Home." As the at-times-possessed Sara, Wynn must portray not only that modern young woman but the long-dead Amanda too, and she does a very solid job. Her boyfriend is portrayed by Michael Anderson Jr., who does not resemble the tall, slim, dark character in Michael's novel, but plays the role well. All things considered, this is a worthwhile TV-film that will repay a viewing. But don't deny yourself the chance to read the book.

Barbara Stanwyck stars in this curious ghost story, produced for television by Aaron Spelling. She plays a secretary who, along with her college-age niece, moves into an old country estate she inherited from her hermit cousin...but an eerie, malevolent force presides in the house, and a spirit is unleashed (perhaps by a séance) that overtakes the girl. Henry Farrell adapted this teleplay from Barbara Michaels' novel, "Ammie, Come Home", which is rather top-heavy with wind-machine effects and centuries-old discoveries in dark rooms. The plot is laid out in a connect-the-dots fashion which mitigates against real suspense, although Richard Egan is scarily intense whenever his professor becomes possessed by a murderer. The young woman is played by a debuting Katherine Winn who, three years later (as Kitty Winn), dealt with possession and exorcism again as a cast member of "The Exorcist". Stanwyck is disappointing--she pretty much walks through this one--but Egan is a good romantic match for her and the finale is tied-up well.

Back in the late 1960's and through the early part of the 1970's the occult became an extremely popular subject for TV and movies. ABC was making "Movies Of The Week" that appeared usually on a Wednesday night. This was one of them. This one involves a haunted house which was recently bought by Barbara Stanwyk and soon she with the help of family and a helpful neighbor Richard Egan try to get to the bottom of things. Literally.

I was 14 when I first saw this and for weeks I wouldn't go into our basement. Don't watch it alone!

For those of us who love intelligent horror films (a very rare genre indeed), this is very high up on my list of 10 best ghost stories [cannot decide between this and 13 Ghosts, The Innocents, the Uninvited, the Haunting (the orginal not the recent remake), A Matter of Life and Death, and the House Where Evil Dwells]. Intelligent ghost movies hardly ever happen on US TV or cinema (only the British really understand ghosts!) but to have a really well-thought out script, great characters and a writer who actually understands the occultism of ghosts coupled with a small cast of superb actors - well, what more can anyone ask??

Stanwyck was at her acting peak in the 60s having developed her characterisation of the ideal mature woman - strong, intelligent, well-spoken, charming and able to rise to any occasion. She is always enchanting to watch being one of those master craftsmen (like Katie Hepburn) able to create a scene and simply hand it to the other actors, not unlike the dignity and grace in the lost art of serving tea. Ruth becomes increasingly disturbed by strange sounds in the house until one night she is attacked by her normally gentle niece who appears to be sleepwalking. Despite the gentle mocking of her neighbor Pat, Ruth is determined to get to the bottom of this.

The suspicion that the house is haunted leads to a seance by a local psychic whose initial enthusiasm for the old house turns to overpowering fear. The much underrated Kitty Win plays her niece Sara who becomes very convincingly possessed as a result of the seance and the psychic manifestations in the house increase (both of which is a little known danger of genuine seances). But Ruth will not be outdone and in uncovering the history of the occupants of the house begins to piece together the awful truth of a callous murder that took place. But written records only give a version of truth - the real truth can only be told by the participants.

What makes this movie so intelligent is that instead of refusing to acknowledge the possession as real and treat Sara as a nut case, Ruth and Stan try to find out what troubles the ghost by letting her speak through Sara. This leads to a unique story development - Sara's ghost is guarding the house from another more malevolent ghost.

Finally they piece together where the heart of the house is and that to free Sara's ghost there must be a confrontation with this second ghost to reveal the terrible secret which binds them both to the house. This climax is beautifully done and should go done in the annals of movie history for its insight into the occult dynamics behind many hauntings as well as its sheer dramatic power.

If you've ever wondered if there is any power in love or hate, this film will demonstrate it. If you think Bruce Willis' The sixth sense is a great film (it certainly is!), you'll adore this film!

Somewhat uneven and even at only 80 minutes begins to outstay its welcome. But I don't wish to be too harsh for there is a marvellous performance by Barbara Stanwyck which helps to hold this together and if only Richard Egan could have been half as good this might have a been a great picture. It's a TV movie with minimal budget but even without special effects the possession scenes are most effective.

This starts as a haunted house movie but swiftly moves into the possession business and in these scenes Egan acquits himself well and Kitty Winn (who would have a role in The Exorcist three years later) is particularly good and indeed is the main reason for those shivers down the spine more than once during this modest but successful little film.