SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Supelice Dreadfully Boring

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Scott LeBrun Ron Foster ("Private Lessons") and Merry Anders ("Women of the Prehistoric Planet") play Scott and Nancy Campbell, a married couple hired by their friend, a lawyer named Joe Schiller (Richard Crane, "The Alligator People"), to do an architectural survey on a country estate. Soon after they arrive, they experience some strange, moderately disconcerting experiences. Knowing full well that the old crone (Georgia Schmidt) who owned the place (who's now confined to an institution) would have loathed police interference, they attempt to do their own sleuthing.This fairly lightweight, routine "old dark house" type horror film ultimately doesn't deliver much in the way of actual horror. It's certainly well made, with some excellent black & white cinematography and camera work. (The Cinema Scope aspect ratio of 2.35:1 does help a lot.) The performances are all quite engaging and the script by Harry Spalding ("Chosen Survivors") features some mildly amusing lines. The "castle" itself is an appropriate setting, adding to the atmosphere that producer & director Maury Dexter ("The Mini-Skirt Mob", "Hell's Belles") is able to create.Foster and Anders make for a personable main couple, with fine support from Crane, Erika Peters ("The Atomic Brain", "Mr. Sardonicus") and the prolific Dal McKennon ('Daniel Boone', "Lady and the Tramp"). A very young Richard Kiel ("Eegah", "The Spy Who Loved Me") makes an appearance as a mute giant."House of the Damned" is watchable enough, but it never does live up to that title.Six out of 10.

malcolm-webb Director Maury Dexter's films are, it seems, generally not much appreciated, but personally I found just about every one, with the exception of Young Guns of Texas, to be thoroughly engaging little support features that were often a cut well above the main attraction. House of the Damned came about mid-way through his early sixties output,and was beautifully lit and photographed in the particularly pleasing combination of black and white with the added benefit of CinemaScope. This is no film for horror fans. It is an atmospheric drama with a sad,low-key ending. Solid cast with popular leading man of the times Ron Foster, and Merry Anders, always a joy to watch, and especially good in Dexter's Police Nurse. House of the Damned rated X for over 16's only, topped the bill at the Rialto Theatre Coventry Street in London's west-end. A limited release in the capital's suburbs saw it supporting another Fox entry Witchcraft. Dexter's output was unpretentious but consistently entertaining, and it would be nice if the Fox Archive people were to release some, if not all of his films in their correct theatrical release ratio. Maury Dexter's contribution to the illustrious history of 20th Century-Fox may be small but it is certainly worthy of recognition.

ferbs54 "House of the Damned" is a fairly unknown little chiller from 1963 that provides some undeniably creepy moments and yet ultimately reveals itself as a marginal entertainment at best. In it, we are introduced to Scott and Nancy Campbell, a likable, attractive couple that has been hired to do an architectural survey of Rochester Castle, a deserted, San Simeon-like affair in the California mountains. But is the pile REALLY deserted? Anyway, this film offers us some surprisingly fine acting by Ronald Foster and Merry Anders as our perplexed couple, as well as interesting direction by Maury Dexter (I know, I know...who?) and some nice B&W lensing in 'Scope, well captured on the crisp-looking DVD that I just watched. There is at least a quartet of scenes that should manage to drip some ice water down most viewers' spines: a half-seen, legless creature creeping through the dark of night; the face of a strange woman peering from behind a bedroom grille; the first lumbering appearance of Richard "Jaws" Kiel; and the sight of a headless person sitting in a chair, hands aflutter. But ultimately, the picture is done in by its denouement; an overly mundane explanation for the film's previously bizarre events that some may find sweet, others ridiculous and still others laughable. This ending kind of reduces the film to the level of prosaic piffle; at least, it proved a disappointment to this viewer. Still, with a running time that just barely exceeds 60 minutes, "House of the Damned" never wears out its welcome, does hold the viewer's attention, and should even prove just fine for the kiddies. It's worth a look, I suppose.

dbborroughs An architect and his wife go to remote castle like house somewhere in California. They are to do a survey of the house for the owners who have know retaken possession of the house after renting the place out for ten years. Once they arrive they find the road to the place blocked off by a makeshift dead end sign. Later that night, as they sleep in their beds something steals their keys to the place. What is going on? Moody and atmospheric tale in which there isn't much beyond the mood and the atmosphere. Here is the story of two couples alone in a big empty house who try to unravel what is causing the (few) strange events around them. The problem is that not a great deal happens and when you get to the final revelation its terribly anti-climatic. Certainly for the first half of the movie you're hooked by the mood and shadows of whats on the screen but then it suddenly begins to dawn on you that almost nothing has happened and unless something radical happens nothing is going to. Honestly there is enough for a half hour movie here but not enough to prevent boredom for the films one hour running time.This is not a movie to see pan and scan since all of the things that make the film so eerie and moody will be cut off by the panning and scanning. For all its flaws this is a movie that should be looked at to see how mood can be created in a widescreen image.Ultimately though, this is a movie thats best left to people who want to see a scary movie but one thats not too scary. Perfect for parents who want to show their kids an adult thriller but don't want them up all night screaming. The rest of us may want to take a pass unless an undemanding mood hits.(A Word of Warning- The DVD has the trailer on the disc and I suggest avoiding it until after you see the film. It gives away almost all of the high points of the film while suggesting a much more action packed film)