kitfox30
When i was a little girl, my sister had rented this as a New Release. he and her friends had gotten so spooked, they decided to spend the night upstairs in my room rather than going downstairs to hers. For lack of something better to do, I had watched it with them. There are some truly surprising moments and o totally enjoyed it. Watched it a few times over the next few years. Haven't been able to find in anywhere, same with "Popcorn" but am going to keep looking.
yourmotheratemydog715
This post-AMITYVILLE HORROR haunted house film directed by porn director Armand Weston occasionally delivers the goods, but is more-often-than-not lame, overpadded and a little cheesy.Writer Lauren Cochran goes out to the country to try and get past her agoraphobia, but when she moves into a frighteningly familiar octagonal house, she finds that there's things to be afraid of inside as well! First off, I'm rather disappointed that the film didn't make the main character's agoraphobia more of a main plot point. The idea of an agoraphobe renting a haunted house, unable to leave because of crippling panic attacks but unable to stay because of haunting specters, would make for a pretty claustrophobic watch. Instead, Weston's script takes the plot in many different directions, implementing slasher elements, prostitute ghosts and a CHANGELING-like mystery unraveling.Sometimes, it works; there are some actually pretty spooky scenes here and there, and the mystery moves deftly enough to keep you involved. There are also some really fun set-pieces involving sickles and high-rise rescues.Unfortunately, the over-the-top acting and dialogue from most of the supporting characters ruins any atmosphere the film could've created (the writer's quippy boyfriend had me about ready to turn off the film 20 minutes in). The unraveling of the mystery reaches a silly, melodramatic conclusion. And I often found the sound design to be distractingly amateurish, a gripe I do not have very often. Overall, you could do a lot worse with '80s haunted-house flicks (HOUSE WHERE EVIL DWELLS, any AMITYVILLE film), but you could also do better (CHANGELING, SILENT SCREAM).Fun fact: The octagonal house where the film was shot is still standing in New York state and may be the only domed octagonal residence still in existence in the United States!
udar55
Not to be confused with the Corman cockroach classic THE NEST, this is semi-effective ghost story. Writer Lauren Cochran (Robin Groves) suffers from agoraphobia and, in a bid to overcome her ailment, she rents a stately mansion in the country from Colonel Lebrun (John Carradine). Turns out the old place used to be a brothel where some prostitutes were murdered after WWII and Cochran has a mysterious connection to the place.Director Armand Weston spent most of his time doing X-rated stuff and this is his only attempt into legit films with mixed results. One on hand, the film benefits from some great atmosphere, thanks mostly to the run down house. There are also several effective ghost attack sequences. On the downside, the film runs way too long (nearly 2 hours) with some overly talky bits that dragggggg. Lead Groves, who reminded me of Patty Duke circa MATCH GAME, is an interesting choice for the lead but she makes the mania look realistic. Former MGM leading lady Gloria Grahame plays the part of the ghost madame and this was her last film.
sol-
A rather bland horror film that is as bad as it sounds, it actually surprisingly starts off quite well, with some effective scenes, but in the end it is not all so glamorous. The characters and acting are both poor, the special effects are rather icky, and in the latter half of the film there a number of sequences that seem to drag on and on pointlessly. In particular, the final twenty or so minutes leave a quite a sour taste in the mouth, however there is one reason why the film may be interesting to view, that being the choices of music, which, although not always appropriate, are still curious and intriguing.
AD
