This nifty little made for TV number is exactly what 70's TV horror was all about, minus any involvement from Dan Curtis. This one was so loved by Guillermo Del Toro that he produced a remake directed by Troy Nixey with Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes starring. Not a box office smash by any means, as the film lacked punch. Not that the '73 version is a cacophony of horror, but I get why Del Toro has feelings for it.
It seems the grandmother of Kim Darby (The little girl who enlists the aid of Rooster Cogburn in True Grit, makes sentient desserts that terrorize John Cusack in Better off Dead, and even gets murdered by Michael Myers in Halloween 6) has left her a sizable abode that she and her cranky-ass husband played by Jim Hutton (who couldn't outact his son Timothy no matter what the stakes may be). They do the old school horror movie chestnut of ignoring warnings from old dudes. Several times, for God's sake.
The house has issues, and of course they're deadly, (and freaky little fuckers to boot). The effects are more passable than some of the size work for the Hobbits in The Lord of the Rings, and the cast is okay with a lightweight script. A burn-on-demand Warner Archive DVD is the only way to get this flick at this point, and be prepared to turn your TV up to 90 because there's not a subtitle or closed caption to be found. Somehow a director's commentary was made available, though. Which is kind of ironic.
As far as it goes, it's fun, nostalgic, worth more than a few chuckles, and the tiny antagonists are freaky enough to at least make you feel like leaving the lights on is a good idea for a couple nights. Plus, Darby drives a Chrysler that I believe doubled as a submarine in World War II. All around enjoyable.
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