Raetsonwe Redundant and unnecessary.

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

McCool2112 One of the best haunted house films, sure its a bit dated but so are many of the classic horror films, it also manages to get good few scares in as well considering when it was made. The acting is great, especially Roddy McDowall as Fischer. John Hough seemed to have a clear vision and direction and you can really see this through the shots he uses, they really help in creating the creepy atmosphere that he managed to conjure. This film also came out the same year as The Exorcist and The Wicker Man, maybe its not as well known or as acclaimed as them but I believe it can stand amongst them as one of the best horror films, it has definitely become one of my favourite horror films.

Leofwine_draca One of the "big boys" of the horror genre, this classic ghost story is generally ranked alongside 1963's THE HAUNTING and 1980's THE CHANGELING as one of the best horror films ever made. Whilst I'm not quite convinced that it deserves this legendary status, it is very much a creepy classic, which transforms a basic and overdone plot line into a successful but quiet and genuinely atmospheric minor masterpiece. Although the film is short on jump-in-your-seat scares, and the primitive effects and situations no longer have the ability to scare jaded fans of the genre, there is much to be enjoyed in this movie.Richard Matheson, adapting his own novel, Hell House, provides some memorably quirky characters and a storyline that effectively mixes in some different ways of dealing with the paranormal – from supernatural mediums and seances to a machine capable of detecting electrical energy in the atmosphere – into an effective brew that is perfect late night viewing. It also happens to be a British horror film of the 1970s, my favourite film genre, so I may be slightly biased in this film's favour.The suspenseful movie charts the course of a week in the house and the growing menace surrounding the four central characters. Strange incidents occur at regular intervals, at first focused at the young and frightened medium Florence Tanner. Here the film plays an ace by the casting of Pamela Franklin (AND SOON THE DARKNESS), a horror veteran (and early scream queen), who again portrays a shy and insecure female victim with a level of maturity and depth that many other actresses fail to grasp. Memorable incidents occur, like an attack by an evil black cat, ectoplasm developing at a séance, and an evening meal interrupted by a poltergeist manifestation, until the eventful and violent finale sees Dr Barrett's ill-advised electronic machine prove to be the catalyst for some deadly occurrences. Finally, we get the explanation of the haunting, which is imaginatively thought out and leads to an enjoyable climax with an eerie cameo appearance from genre master Michael Gough.Playing a minor character who later becomes the lead, Roddy McDowall gives a tour-de-force performance which some critics have scoffed at, calling him "melodramatic". I disagree totally, and instead regard his portrayal of the edgy and neurotic medium – who refuses to 'open up' to the spirits – as a work of genius and one of the underrated actor's finest performances in his distinguished career. Congratulations to Mr McDowall for his strong emoting, adding yet another level of intrigue and realism to an already favourable film. The other roles are filled by Clive Revill (sterling work as the doomed sceptic) and Gayle Hunnicutt, who looks ravishing and finds herself possessed by ghostly sexual desires – need I say more. The setting of the spooky old house is clichéd but adds to the spooky atmosphere, whilst effects and music are all technically superior and help develop the sense of spooky menace. Despite being a little dated by modern standards, this is still a genre classic and needs to be seen by all mature horror fans as an example of the genre at its most successful and frightening. Creepy stuff!

view_and_review It's always interesting to watch older movies. This movie probably predates the majority of IMDb users including myself.Hell House, as it's dubbed, is a mansion haunted by the spirit of Emeric Belasco. Four people have gone there to draw out this spirit and solve the mystery of Hell House.The movie is more of an erotic horror. The spirit seems absorbed with cohabitating with the medium, Florence Tanner (Pamela Franklin), and causing Mrs. Barrett to philander with the male medium, Ben Fisher (Roddy McDowall). When Belasco's spirit isn't behind some sexually charged event he is trying to hurt people. Some real S&M stuff. And this from a man that was born in 1879 England; you'd think he'd be more enlightened and sophisticated.For a 1973 movie it provided a few scares--mostly in the jump scare form. The movie was more mysterious than scary. I see how it paved the way for a very similar movie titled "The Entity" which came out in the early 80's. The Legend of Hell House wasn't that legendary after all.

BA_Harrison In order to discover the facts about survival after death, aged millionaire Rudolph Deutsch (Roland Culver) hires physicist Dr. Lionel Barrett (Clive Revill) to investigate the notorious Belasco house, a supposedly haunted mansion that was originally home to infamous sexual deviant Emeric Belasco, who hosted orgies that reputedly involved acts of cannibalism, vampirism, bestiality and necrophilia.Accompanied by his wife Ann (Gayle Hunnicutt), mental medium Florence Tanner (Pamela Franklin) and physical medium Ben Fischer (Roddy McDowell), Barrett sets about trying to prove that there are no malevolent spirits at work in the house, and that any spooky happenings are merely due to a build up of negative energy over the years that can be dissipated via the use of a massive metal contraption with assorted dials and twiddly knobs. Of course, it ain't as simple as that…Adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson (from his novel 'Hell House'), and directed by John Hough, The Legend of Hell House is an undeniably atmospheric film (an incredibly moody score helping immensely), with a cool set-up and a great collection of characters, but it is sorely in need of a lot more scares. Much of the action is unnecessarily talky, making the film something of a bore rather than the thrilling spook-fest the wonderful title promises.Even the film's creepiest scene—a shadowy figure lurking in Tanner's shower cubicle while blood runs from under the glass—somehow manages to disappoint. The film's silly climax reveals the real reason for Belasco's supernatural rage, and it's a howler; I imagine that laughter was probably not the intended reaction.To be honest, the scariest thing about the whole film is just how yellow Tanner's teeth are: doesn't she own a toothbrush?