The Legend of Hell House

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The Legend of Hell House

Directed by	John Hough
Produced by	Albert Fennell, Norman T. Herman, James H. Nicholson (executive), Susan Hart (executive)
Written by	Novel & screenplay: Richard Matheson
Starring	Pamela Franklin, Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill, Gayle Hunnicutt, Roland Culver, Peter Bowles
Distributed by	Twentieth Century Fox
Release date(s)	1973
Running time	95 minutes
Language	English
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The Legend of Hell House is a 1973 horror film by Academy Pictures. It was directed by John Hough and stars Roddy McDowall,Gayle Hunnicutt,Roddy McDowall and Pamela Franklin. The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson based on his own novel Hell House.

1 Production
2 Plot Synopsis
3 Trivia
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Production

Production began on 23 October 1972. The Legend of Hell House is one of only two productions of James H. Nicholson after his departure from American International Pictures — a company he had run, along with Samuel Z. Arkoff, since 1954. Nicholson died of a brain tumour in December, 1972, before the film's release in June, 1973. The external shots of the house were filmed at Wykehurst Park, East Sussex. Nicholson's company, Academy Pictures Corporation, also released "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" through Twentieth Century Fox in 1974.

[edit] Plot Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

A physicist, Lionel Barrett, is enlisted by an eccentric millionaire, Mr Deutsch, to make an investigation into 'survival after death' in 'the one place where it (survival) has yet to be refuted. This is the Belasco House: 'The Mount Everest of haunted houses', originally owned by the notorious Emeric Belasco, a perverted millionaire and supposed murderer who disappeared following a massacre at his home.

Accompanying Barrett are his wife Ann as well as two mediums: a physical medium, Fischer, and a mental medium, Florence Tanner. Barrett also brings a machine that will supposedly rid the house of any paranormal presence or force. The rationalist Barrett is rudely skeptical of Tanner's Christian faith and belief in spiritualism, asserting that there is nothing but unfocused magnetic energy in the house. He is subsequently attacked and suspects that Tanner may be harnessing the house's energy against him, though she is not a mental medium.

Frightened by his past experiences, Fischer remains aloof with his mind closed to the house's influence.

Ann Barrett is subjected to erotic visions late at night, which seem linked to her lack-lustre sex-life. She goes downstairs and, in a seeming trance, demands sex from Fischer. Her husband arrives on the scene and she returns to herself, horrified and ashamed. He is bitterly resentful.

Tanner is attacked and scratched by a possessed cat and Barrett, seeing the scratches, suspects that Tanner may be mutilating herself. In the belief that the 'surviving personality is Belasco's tormented son, Tanner gives herself to the entity sexually, is raped and driven temporarily insane.

Barrett's machine is assembled. Tanner attempts to destroy it, thinking that it will harm the spirits in the house. She is prevented. She enters the chapel, the unholy heart of the house, where the entity reveals itself to her and she is crushed by a falling crucifix. Barrett meanwhile activates his machine, which seems to be effective. Fischer declares the house completely clear. However, soon afterwards, violent psychic activity resumes and Barret is killed.

Fischer decides to confront the entity with Ann Barrett accompanying him with misgivings. In the chapel, a confrontation ensues; Fischer reveals that Belasco is the single remaining entity, masquerading as many. He taunts him, revealing that Belasco was a 'funny little dried-up bastard' who amputated his own short legs and substituted false ones in a grotesque attempt to appear imposing. They track Belasco to a lead-lined chamber behind the altar, where his body sits. Leaving the protective chamber open, they reactivate the machine and leave the house. It is to be assumed that this time, Belasco's spirit will be neutralized by Barrett's device.

[edit] Trivia

The voice of Emeric Belasco, as well as the appearance of his preserved corpse is that of veteran British actor Michael Gough familiar to modern audiences from his role as Alfred the butler in the Tim Burton movie Batman.

There are a few obvious discrepancies in the film: First, the beginning of the movie establishes that no one except Fischer Roddy McDowell survived any of the past expeditions to the house, but as the film progresses other survivors are named by both Fischer and Lionel Barrett.

In a fun speech at the dinner table, Fischer lists Belasco's depravities as including 'murder, sadism, vampirism, bestiality, not to mention a gamut of sexual goodies' despite the fact that several of the aforementioned ARE sexual in nature

The books that Ann Barrett sees standing the cabinet are titled, from left to right; "Obsessive Acts And Religious Practices" by Sigmund Freud, "The Worship of Priapus" by Richard Payne Knight, "The Psychology (?) of Sex (?)" by H. H. Elliot (?), "Sin And Sex", "Conation Volition", "Sex And Celibacy" by T. Long, "The Anatomy of Abuses" by Philip Stubbs, "Phallic Worship" and "Autoerotic Phenomena In Adolecence" by K. Menzies