Review of Legend of Hell House, The

Introduction

An old and not very scary haunted house movie in which all cast members fail to ignite the screen. The mix of strange erotic behaviour in the house`s occupants doesn`t seem to fit with the story and McDowell`s softly spoken dialouge can`t help reminding of his part as Galen in Planet of the apes.

This fails where the likes of Nicole Kidman`s "The Others" greatly succeeds. It`s a shame to think that we can produce better and scarier movies now with little or no effects.

A good horror movie keeps the ghosts hidden in the shadows and scares you by what you can`t see. This movie fails on all accounts by not showing anything to the viewer. Everything is held within the minds of the three scientists and never has any real effect on the viewer.

Video

The washed out and very grainy presentation actually helps the tone of this movie as too many recent blockbusters look too clean and polished on DVD. The recent Lord of the Rings release is a big indication of how this adds to the feel of a movie on the big screen but fails slightly when released on an overtly clean DVD. The 1.85:1 transfer is clean and free from artefacts. Blacks lean more towards the grey but whites are strong and sharp with only a hint of motion smear.

Audio

A strident and crisp Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo mix. There`s a good level of matrixed bass but no surround use. The higher levels are a tad shrill and can become uncomfortable at high volume.

Features

The ubiquitous theatrical trailer.

Conclusion

A haunted house movie that fails to deliver in the scares department. As a DVD is has semi-high production values, with great effort in maintaining the look and feel of the original theatrical presentation.
The sound has also had a good reworking and gives the movie a younger than it sounds feel.