The Haunted House of Horror

Wow, how did I manage to go so long without seeing this wonderfully corny '60s title, lost among thousands of other obscure, late-night drive-in classics? I had heard about it many years ago, just a rough plot outline, and always thought it sounded like cheesy fun, but I never had the chance to see it. However, I managed to view the film recently, under its alternate title, "The Haunted House of Horror", and I must say that I enjoyed every minute of it! Where do I begin? Well, first of all, those amazing '60s fashions! Go-go boots and mini-skirts haunt this picture more than the house itself does, and it must be said that throughout the entire movie the curvaceous Jill Haworth looks absolutely stunning (and yes, in many scenes she is wearing mini-skirt). Basically, the plot revolves around this girl Sheila (Haworth), her swinger beau Chris (Frankie Avalon!) and all of their groovin' swinger friends who get bored with the usual Friday night party antics in swinging London and decide to go "ghost-hunting" at an old deserted mansion in the countryside. Well, what follows is that someone ends up dead (in a murder scene which is surprisingly bloody for a PG-rated film) and the kids try to figure out whodunit! I guess one could describe this little number as a more mature, live-action British version of "Scooby Doo"! It's an absolute hoot, and I really enjoyed it. The plot was really nothing special, but from beginning to end I was hooked on this movie, and I was surprised at how ahead of it's time it was, and of course by the bloodiness of the killings. There is one killing at the climax of the film that will surely make your eyes pop out of their sockets - unbelievable! I won't give anything away, you'll have to see for yourself, but this baby is just amazing, from the corny dialogue: "Sheila, the way you dig blood, people'd think you're a vampire!", "You'd better watch out, darling, next time I give you a love bite!", to the swingin' sixties fashions, to the Scooby Doo antics and gory knife murders, plus a very downbeat, disturbing ending and a creepy atmosphere - you can't go wrong with this one. Unfortunately it's pretty hard to find, but it has found a cozy little home on cable, so if you get the chance, give it a look!

i really enjoyed this movie.

why?

because it is FUN to watch. movies don't have to be deeply meaningful or classy or poetic..

more important than all that is that it is fun to watch.

i don't mean comedy-funny, i mean a flow, a structure and a story that doesn't make you snooze. (maybe some actors that actually can act, but thats a dying breed)

this movie is entertaining and fun, sure the story is thin and the middle drags a little, but it really doesn't matter..

you got frankie avalon, a dark old house and some outrageous 6oties hairdos, what more can you want?

When I was about 10 years old me and my friend saw this on TV and the ending really freaked us out! We had never seen so much blood and gore on television before and it stunned us. Well, 30 years later I've finally seen this film again. I've been searching for it ever since. I didn't know the title but I never miss a horror film so I was bound to run into it again. It took 30 years! The film starts slowly with Frankie Avalon playing a rare serious role. The film has two very bloody scenes that you don't expect from an Avalon film during this time. The ending is strange and inconclusive. One of the things that I did enjoy are the real 60's London mod style of clothing. Very interesting to see the style during these times. But the film does have a fatal flaw. There just is to much talking and not enough time spent in the horror house. So after all these years the two bloody scenes still pack a wallop but its still a tedious film. A curio, though.

London "hepcats" grow bored at a party one night and decide to go explore an old nearby estate that's supposedly haunted. Once there one of the gang is brutally knifed to death and the group is left to wonder if one of their own is a killer.

The Haunted House of Horror (also known simply as Horror House) is a swinging 60's British chiller that's a bit of a mixed-bag for horror fans. On the good side there's a couple of effectively shocking (and bloody) murder scenes, a nicely moody music score by Reg Tilsley, and the climax of the film is pleasingly intense. Unfortunately the rest of the film is hampered by a sluggish pacing and a fairly routine setup. The uneven performances from the cast don't help things either.

Still, overall Haunted House of Horror has enough going for it to make it an interesting watch - particularly for fans of British horror from this era or maybe for people who just hate Frankie Avalon.

** out of ****

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this one; I went in expecting nothing and actually found a more than decent horror movie. The film is directed by Michael Armstrong, a British man who would go on to direct the excellent 'Mark of the Devil' a year later. The title is a bit misleading as it makes the film out to be a haunted house movie, when in fact it's closer to the slasher genre if anything. The film takes place in sixties 'swinging' London and focuses on a group of young friends. They're out one night and looking for a party when one of them suggests that they go to an old house that is supposedly haunted. Their party turns sour when one of the friends gets sliced by an unseen killer and, believing they would be in trouble with the local bobby's if they come forward, they decide to dispose of the body themselves. I have to admit that the film is really quite predictable and even though it's a "whodunit", there's never a great deal of mystery surrounding anything in the film. The film is very well shot, however, and the director does a good job of capturing the swinging sixties feel. It's also a very colourful film, which is nice. The acting is rubbish of course, but that's not too important and it all boils down to a nice little twist at the end. I can't say this is brilliant stuff; but it's not bad and worth a look for horror fans.