31 Days of Halloween October Horror Movie Challenge - Day 11: The Legend of Hell House (1973)

Day 11 - Legend of Hell House (1973) 

Platform:

Borrowed disc from the Clermont County Public Library. 

Quote:

“If it had ended, we wouldn’t be here.”

Synopsis:

The Belasco mansion was the site of some of the weirdest, wildest, and most depraved events while its master was alive. Now that he’s dead, it’s a house of nightmares. One team of psychic investigators braved the mansion, and only one came out alive and sane, mostly. Now Dr. Barrett and his wife are forming a new team made up of two psychics, Florence Tanner and Ben Fischer (played by the great Roddy McDowell), the only survivor of the previous expedition. With a machine designed by Dr. Barrett that is meant to dissipate spiritual energy, they will pit science against the supernatural and try to solve the mystery of Hell House.

Review:

Based on the Richard Matheson novel, titled simply Hell House, this is a fairly faithful adaptation of the novel. Obviously, there are quite a few changes, mostly edits done to streamline the story and take out anything that 70’s audiences wouldn’t have approved of in a mainstream film (such as the details of what kinds of things Belasco did to and with his guests, and the sexually repressed awakening of Mrs. Barrett; all of which are there, just not in the detail you get as the characters explore the house). 

Roddy McDowell delivers a great performance as Ben Fischer, but I do wish that they had built his character arc a little closer to how it plays in the book. In the novel, Ben is so traumatized by the events of his first trip into the house that he has completely shut himself off psychically so that he can’t be reached by the spirits that haunt the house. This is still the case in the film, but in the book, he refuses to get involved in any way with the investigation and just shows up ready to collect his check at the end. When things start going down though and people start really getting hurt, he has a hero moment where he finally opens himself up. He fails at first, but eventually, he comes into his own and makes a final heroic stand to face down Belasco. In the film version, he seems less like a reluctant hero who eventually answers the call, and more like a negative-nancy that just suddenly understands the mystery and solves it Scooby-Doo style. He’s a fun character throughout the film though, and McDowell seems to play it with relish.

I have a sweet spot for anything that mixes science and the supernatural, Ghostbusters being the pinnacle of this fusion, so the concept of using the machine to disrupt the psychic energy was very cool. They also had some pretty decent special effects that hold up well enough today. Nothing overly outlandish and fairly simple effects like the ectoplasmic tendrils that emanate from Florence Tanner during one of the investigation scenes, make it a piece you can return to repeatedly. While you will most definitely be aware of the fact that you’re watching a 70s’ piece, you won’t be laughing at how ridiculous the effects are (you might be laughing at other elements, I go back to the weird Scooby-Doo ending, but not at the effects). 

This is a classic in my book, and I definitely recommend it. And if you like this, check out Matheson’s novel as you get a lot more details on the characters, the haunting events and history, and the investigation scenes as they try to figure out the mystery of the Belasco house.

Movie Count:

New Movies = 8

Total Movies = 11

DVD/Blu-Ray Borrow Breakdown: I'm sure this feature is not new to anyone really, but I'll still point out some of the benefits and drawbacks. Let's start with the benefits. Most of the digital titles you find on the Hoopla and OverDrive platforms are going to be a few years old or going to be fairly obscure titles. New release, major motion pictures are going to take a while before they relinquish streaming rights to general public services like these. But the library regularly purchases physical copies of new releases for patrons to borrow. Libraries also offer hold services so that even if your library's copies have all been checked out, you can go ahead and put in a request to be put on a waiting list so that you hold your place in line to borrow that title when it's ready for you. Interlibrary loans also allow you to check out books and movies even if your local library branch doesn't carry the title, so your options are pretty much limitless as long as you have the patience to wait for delivery. The drawbacks to this service are that you do have to pay close attention to due dates. Videos usually have a higher late fee than books, and you have them for a shorter loan period (usually 7 days). One big leg up on borrowing physical copies that the digital platforms have, is that you don't have to worry about late fees because the titles automatically return when your loan period expires. However, if you know that the movie you want is very popular, and you want a little more time with it, you could always shell out the extra $1 to keep it another day. Another drawback is that you are using shared materials. That means that you are at the mercy of the treatment that other patrons apply to the material. Sometimes you get a DVD or Blu-ray that could be scratched (I know that Blu-ray's are supposed to be nearly unscratchable, but it seems that some people have taken that as a personal challenge), or dirty to the point that it skips, or is even unwatchable.