Does your house need a face-lift? Then, take a little tip from brother and sister Burgess Meredith and Eileen Heckart. Rent it out for the summer to a nice married couple with a small child and just let the house take over. That's exactly what happens here, and boy, no plastic surgeon has the ability to do what this house does. Karen Black and Oliver Reed, two cult favorites of the 1970's, have done some weird films in their time, but other than a T.V. movie where Black is chased by a little African doll with a knife, they don't rank anywhere near as frightening as this. Sure, Reed scared the bajeebers out of kids being mean to Oliver Twist and Black had us frantic when she announced that there was nobody flying the plane, but now, she's got something serious to want to desperately fly out of.
Literally, the house comes alive, as do several ghosts, with one of the most frightening swimming pools ever in the movies. Bette Davis adds a touch of class, not camp here, as Black's kindly aunt who comes for a visit and finds more than she bargained for on a holiday. The spirit of a deadly chauffeur haunts both her and her great grand-nephew (Lee Montgomery) while Reed and Black slowly go batty on their own as the evil spirits surrounding the house literally take over. This is severe horror at its scariest, a "Poltergeist" way before that horror classic came out and one that will tingle your spine in ways its never been tingled before. Anthony James may not be a household name, but the chauffeur he plays is as spooky a character to ever appear in a horror film and may haunt your dreams if you watch this right before going to bed. This is a great horror follow-up to the original "Dark Shadows" and its movies for director Dan Curtis.
Literally, the house comes alive, as do several ghosts, with one of the most frightening swimming pools ever in the movies. Bette Davis adds a touch of class, not camp here, as Black's kindly aunt who comes for a visit and finds more than she bargained for on a holiday. The spirit of a deadly chauffeur haunts both her and her great grand-nephew (Lee Montgomery) while Reed and Black slowly go batty on their own as the evil spirits surrounding the house literally take over. This is severe horror at its scariest, a "Poltergeist" way before that horror classic came out and one that will tingle your spine in ways its never been tingled before. Anthony James may not be a household name, but the chauffeur he plays is as spooky a character to ever appear in a horror film and may haunt your dreams if you watch this right before going to bed. This is a great horror follow-up to the original "Dark Shadows" and its movies for director Dan Curtis.