The House Of Haunted Horror — The House Of Haunted Horror( Blu Ray)
The House Of Haunted Horror is a swinging 60’s blend of creepy house horror, proto-slasher, and murder mystery. It blends camp and colourful vibes/ clothes, with moments of eerie unease and bright red gore. Here from 88 films- as part of their Tigon collection series is a new Blu-Ray release of the film- featuring an HD scan, two commentary tracks and a few other extras.
From the year 1969, The House Of Haunted Horror( Haunted House) is a joint English US production between Tigon and AIP. It was co-directed by Bolton Lancashire-born Michael Armstrong and Stepney London-born Gerry Levy. Between the late 60’s and early 80’s Armstrong had two other feature-length credits- taking in gore bound ‘n’ cruel folk horror Mark Of The Devil( 1970), and anthology horror Screamtime (1983). While Levy had the following two credits fantasy drama Where Has Poor Micky Gone (1964), and Alien Invasion sci-fi The Body Stealers (1969).
The film focuses on a group of six or so twenty-somethings who live near the grooving centre of swinging 60’s London. Taking in a good selection of characters such as cool ‘n’ cocky American Chris- played by pop idol turned-actor Frankie Avalon. more timid and softly spoken Richard( Julian Barnes), blond and glamorous Sheila( Jill Haworth), large side burned joker Peter(Richard O'Sullivan), and quirky-if-plain Madge(Veronica Doran).
It moves from the group having a party in one of their apartments- then getting bored- so they decide to head out to an abandoned house in the countryside some miles from London. Here they tell ghost stories, try doing a séance, have a few drinks, and wander around the house via candlelight. Suddenly one of their number is brutally killed- with bright red blood raining and pooling.
As the film moves on Inspector Bill Bradley( Denise Price) is brought in to investigate- and we’re presented with a selection of suspects, including the older Trilby hatted Bob( Kellet), one of the group themselves, or someone who is hiding out in the house. With along the way more late-night visits to the house- as more deaths occur.
The film feels like it’s sitting between the old and new- with eeriness and mystery-solving meeting the bloody and brutal. The mystery of who the killer is keeps you locked in, and I’d say it’s fairly surprising who is behind it- with us getting a nice hamming-it-up reveal. The acting is mixed- but no one is truly bad- with you believing the friendship and drama between the group well enough. All making The House Of Haunted Horror a rewarding mixing pot of mystery, horror, and drama genres.
This new Blu-Ray takes in an HD print of the film- this looks bold and well-defined throughout, though the blood still looks too bright red. We get a good selection of extras- not sure if these are all new/ some are archive- but there is some decent/ meaty content. First off we get two commentaries- one from British film critics Kim Newman and Sean Hogan, and the second with US film journalists Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson. I played the first of these- and as we come to expect from Newman & Hogan we get a chatty well-observed/well-researched track, which is most entertaining and engaging. They begin by talking about the film's title, and how it utilises/plays with key horror film base words. Comment on the London street locations, and how these set the tone of the film well. We find out the film was meant to be a parody of the swinging 60’s. They talk about the terrible pub song and point out a glaring continuity issue. They chat about the pictures/ posters/ art in the flat where the parties going, and how it all seems fairly believable as a party from the decade. We find out at one point David Bowie was going to play the Frankie Avalon character. They discuss issues with the project's filming, and the idea there were different versions of the film. Later on, they pointed out/ discuss some of the locations. They talk about the other work of co-director Michael Armstrong, discuss how the film was edging towards something new in the horror genre, and the killer's reveal.
For other extras we have the following: The Making Of The Haunted House of Horror( 1 hour 31 minutes) this is an in-depth making of- featuring interviews with Armstrong, cast and crew. House of Horrors( 32.11) interview with Armstrong. A Party to The Haunted House of Horror( 3.56) interview with one of the extras from the party. Helping to Cut The Haunted House of Horror( 3.52) interview with the film's editor. Trailers, and stills gallery.
The finished release comes with an inlay booklet, and a reversible sleeve featuring new artwork by Sean Longmore & original poster
I’ve always had a soft spot for The House Of Haunted Horror- with its blend of horror/ mystery tropes, 60’s setting, and memorable enough characters. It’s great to see it getting this new 88 Films release- with a classy/ bold HD scan, and a decent selection of extras.