I remember seeing this one on television a ton when I was a youngster, and the final image of Karen Black was burned to the back of my brain for years. It Kept me up for days. But unlike some "haunted house" flicks of the 70's, this one has performances by pure pros in the leads. Oliver Reed (who arcs nicely from uber-dad to steadily losing his mind), Karen Black, and Hollywood Legend Bette Davis. The 12 year old son of our protagonists is played by Lee Montgomery, who is far less irritating than the kid roles of this era.
So Reed, Black, Auntie Davis, and Montgomery rent out a massive palace for a couple of months during the summer, for a rate that is ridiculously low. And you know it's low for a reason. Is it haunted? I guess, but it seems more like a being on-board the monstrosity has its mind set on ghoulish things. Stephen King is a huge fan of the novel director Dan Curtis (whom I've waxed repeatedly on here about due to his television prowess with The Norliss Tapes, The Night Stalker, Trilogy of Terror and others) adapted here and the resulting film. There is more than a little bit of The Shining here, but the tone and touch are completely different than Kubrick. This was actually a theatrical release, which he bizarrely elected to shoot mostly in soft focus, which leads to an uncomfortable feeling. I'm sure it was his intent.
Reed is way better than Nicholson was in The Shining as you never doubted the insanity of Jack Torrance from the goddamn jump, and James Brolin was in The Amityville Horror, where he jumped over the top so many times, it grew tiresome.
I guess you could say Oliver Reed set the tone for the tortured male lead of a haunted house.
The things he could do with facial expression were beyond most; he was a true loss at the age of 61 while shooting Ridley Scott's Gladiator. He was capable of much more than he accomplished in his still lengthy career, which began with Hammer Horror. Karen Black slides nicely into obsession (and perhaps possession) selling it with a nice gradual dip. Bette Davis is, well, as great as always, in a role that is actually not sinister, but pure, which is not always the case for her.
The film builds to a climax, set in motion by the house literally physically changing, and ends with an upsetting bang, but not before Anthony James, the hearse driver from Hell, makes a few appearances. (As I recall, his moments appeared in the wonderfully enjoyable Bravo Network's addicting 100 Scariest Movie Moments which aired on that network in 2004). Overall, this makes for a nice Halloween view, as it is a bit of a gradual build, but not a slow burn, as Curtis seems to not believe in separating the freak show from the viewer for too long.
Recommended.
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