Search - Haunting of Hell House on DVD

CEREBRAL GOOSEBUMPS

Michael Butts | Martinsburg, WV USA | 01/27/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Since I'm only really familiar with Henry James' TURN OF THE SCREW, which reached the screen in 1961 as THE INNOCENTS with Deobrah Kerr ( a marvelous film), I wasn't sure what James intention was in this confusing, though interesting, film. It opens with Michael York (looking like a disheveled Ebenezer Scrooge) going to an old house and drinking a glass of wine. Okay...next, we meet a young couple who go to the same house, make out on the steps and then the girl tells her lover she is pregnant. Andrew Bowen as the young man is viscerally compelling and gives a performance that is not usually found in this type of movie. Aideen O'Donnell as the girl is likewise beautifully effective in a small role. Of course, the boy is worried about his parents' opinion of this common girl, so he arranges an abortion for her. The abortionist is not even a doctor, doesn't use any kind of anethsetic, except Laudanum, and of course, once the abortion is performed, young Sarah is not in good shape. John takes her to her room, and promises her he will be back with help. However, he doesn't, and she dies. That leads him into a nightmarish guilt trip, punctuated by ghostly visions, which leads him to consult York, who has been accused of killing his daughter (Claudia Christian).
From there on, it turns into a chase the suspected murderer, and an ending that is quite inexplicable.
In essence, this is a movie about guilt, and what it can do to you. There is more terror in the souls of these two men than in any Hell House."