MovieChat Forums > The Legend of Hell House (1973) Discussion > One of the best British 'horrors'..?

One of the best British 'horrors'..?

posted 15 years ago by bladewrecker
14 replies | jump to latest

what do you think,Was/is it one of the best British "Horror" movies of the era..?

In the 1950's/60's we had Hammer,then in the late 60's and into the 1970's a number of rivals such as Amicus- Tyburn,and others, seemed to be taking over.Those companies ( especially Amicus) came out with, what are now considered by many people to be classics.The House That Dripped Blood, Dr Terrors, House Of Horrors, Tales From The Crypt,etc etc etc etc

Does LOHH compare well to other British " Horror" movies of the time..?

[–] manchester_england2004 15 years ago

You sum up the British horror movie industry very well there. Indeed Hammer's rivals Amicus and Tigon did begin to squeeze them out in the early 1970s, but both of these companies as well lost out in the second half of that decade when Pete Walker and Norman J. Warren came along to help Britain catch up with its American counterparts. I would agree that Amicus's anthology movies and Tigon's more sexually-orientated movies are as good as if not better than what Hammer was producing during this period. Indeed both companies certainly had fewer failures than Hammer did in my opinion.

THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE is certainly a lot different to other British horrors in the sense that it is geared to appeal to American audiences as much as British ones (Roddy McDowall's casting is an obvious technique used to convey this). The decision to set the movie almost entirely in a single manor house helps the producers to hide the "Britishness" in a way that the Amicus and Tigon movies could not due to their predominately urban settings. By doing this the producers have ensured the stupid "dated" tag (a label used repeatedly by modern viewers who dislike older movies) could not be applied to the movie (except to maybe the fashion aspects) in order to discredit it in the way many other British (and for that matter American) movies had been.

[–] paintedplates 15 years ago

It's historically accurate, not dated. The investigation of the house takes place at time of the movie and not in the future or our present. It's proper they dress the way they do.

Yes most film watchers are unsophisticated people (anyone can watch a film and give an opinion) and their criticisms say more about their failings than a movie's ...

[–] manchester_england2004 15 years ago

I agree with your comments to an extent. Criticisms by movie viewers can say more about their failings than those of the movie. It all depends on whether the viewer making the criticism develops an accurate interpretation of the producer's intentions. If they do, their criticism stands up better because they are more likely to be judging the movie from an objective viewpoint.

Unfortunately, many who criticise movies made in the past do not do so from an objective viewpoint and as such their criticism contains absurd terminologies like "dated". This is the only reason I made my point on the subject.

[–] paintedplates 15 years ago

Another type of criticism I see on here is 'I was expecting a monster but there was no monster,so the movie is no good.' It may not be 'monster' but that's the general form. Suddenly the movie must take into account their expectations. Who are these people? The makers of the film didn't sign on to say that they are determined to satisfy the expectations of some nobody.

They set out to do what they wanted to do, and should be judged on how successful they were in doing that. If they left out 'monsters' or whatever, that was their intention, and the movie should be looked as: how good is this monsterless movie... not: this movie should have a monster cuz I like monsters........

[–] manchester_england2004 15 years ago

The movie was not meant to contain monsters so this is more proof that some viewers are judging the movie incorrectly.

This is a psychological horror movie that delivers scares by relying on what the viewer cannot see rather than what they can see. It has gone a step further than other movies of this kind by showing no malevolent forces whatsoever - at any stage. It makes highly effective use of its solid acting performances, strange music that builds suspense, atmospheric setting, unusual camera angles and the illusion of claustrophobia. Some viewers simply do not understand these concepts. They think that movies must contain monsters, gore or some CGI effects. Well the big budget movie producers at Hollywood make plenty of movies to cater for their needs anyway so these viewers should not be complaining.

The producers of THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE knew what their intentions were and I think they succeeded perfectly. The movie is a minor classic of British cinema. This is reflected in the voting patterns on IMDb and other websites such as Amazon.

[–] paintedplates 15 years ago

They've fleshed the characters out more in this movie.. they're complicated and their interactions are too.. I get it mixed up with the book now, cuz I've read the book twice since I saw the movie.

But the characters have issues and the spirit takes advantage of these personality flaws and conflicts to destroy them. Sexually unfulfilled Edith. Fischer's cynicism. Tanner's recklessness. Barrett's obstinancy (also in the book his physical disabilities). They don't get along well. Barrett distrusts psychics. The psychics don't trust Barrett's machine.

To enjoy the movie fully people should be aware of this... the characters, how they interact, and how their flaws are used against them. It's a sophisticated story in that way. Though, ya, the ending is botched.

PS I'm reading THE HISTORIAN... anybody out there, it's an amazing book, really, and I don't say such things lightly...

[–] mistycara13 14 years ago

What a perfect description of this very excellent movie manchester england2004! I grew up loving this movie for all the same things you mentioned in your post! I even found the dvd and bought it and still enjoy watching it to this day.

Brit horror was always my favorite and I loved all the Hammer films.

Purrrr!

[–] bladewrecker 14 years ago

"THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE is certainly a lot different to other British horrors in the sense that it is geared to appeal to American audiences as much as British ones "

Do you think that LOHH gets (unfairly) compared to "The Haunting",which was filmed in U.K but set in the U.S

[–] manchester_england2004 14 years ago

THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE is compared to THE HAUNTING very often. People who don't like one often recommend the other as a better movie for people to see.

A fair comparison can be made since the concept is almost the same in both. But the way the concept develops is very different:

- THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE develops all the characters (and gives them fairly equal screen time) but THE HAUNTING focuses on a single character.

- In THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE, the spiritual forces are revealed as external to the main characters but in THE HAUNTING the presence of spiritual forces is ambigious.

- In THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE, there is a clear conflict between science versus psychic phenomena but in THE HAUNTING the science takes a back seat in the story and psychic phenomena does not form part of the story.

My opinion - THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE is a tremendous success in its objectives and a true minor classic of British cinema (especially in the horror genre). In many ways, especially the sets, the director appears to take a modest approach but he succeeded in holding my attention and genuinely scaring me. My review gives my detailed analysis on this.

THE HAUNTING in contrast is a sub-par movie that contains superb visuals and great acting but places style over substance and ultimately leaves the viewer to form a conclusion to the events on the screen without having enough insight into the facts of the story.

[–] Jaythestingray 15 years ago

Yes I agree with some of the other posts in that this film is not dated very much at all. It still holds up very well. Very cool film but I dont know if it would be "the best British horror"

[–] bladewrecker 9 years ago

Where would you rate it?.
I think it could be remade or updated by Hammer,now they are back making movies.

[–] lathe-of-heaven 9 years ago

A resounding YES! 

The Blu-ray is frigg'n STUNNING too!

I have over 6000 films now, many of them very rare and OOP. I LOVE to trade. PLEASE ASK! 

[–] talisencrw 9 years ago

I concur. Fantastic film. 9/10 for me. =)

[–] ElectricWarlock 7 years ago

I'd say it's just as good as other British horror movies of the era. It's beautifully photographed. I love the shots of the cat walking outside the towering house in the fog. I also really like the creepy atmosphere it has. It keeps you on the edge of your seat.