This House Possessed
This House Possessed
| 06 February 1981 (USA)
This House Possessed Trailers

A sinister force permeating a secluded mountain estate convinces the nurse/companion of rock star Parker Stevenson, who has had a nervous collapse, that the house is alive and determined to keep her prisoner.

Reviews
Palaest recommended
DipitySkillful an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.
SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction
Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
MartinHafer When this film begins, Parker Stevenson (Frank from "The Hardy Boys") is performing some rock-n-roll song, as he's apparently some big music star. However, he soon collapses...a victim of exhaustion from his demanding lifestyle. Soon he awakens in the hospital where he's taken care of by a very pretty nurse (Lisa Eilbacher). When he's able to leave the hospital, he asks this nurse to accompany him as his own private nurse and...well...who knows--she sure doesn't! He then very impulsively buys a smart house--one loaded with cameras and gadgets. But after a while, it becomes apparent that his house has a mind of its own...as if it's possessed. And then...bad things happen!If this sounds familiar, much of the film is like the made for Disney Channel movie "Smart House" (1999) but with a more malevolent house and an emphasis on spookiness as well as the relationship between the two leads. "Smart House" was fun and for the kids..."This House Possessed" is certainly more adult and not exactly fun. Plus, the nurse has a bizarre back story that comes out late in the film that left me feeling a bit annoyed as it sounded very contrived. So, apart from this and Stevenson's singing, did I like the film? Well, I didn't hate it...but that's probably it. It's gotten 'time-passer' written all over it with nothing all that interesting about it other than seeing Joan Bennett in a small role.
Aaron1375 This is a movie that has this very bad rock singer who suffers from headaches. I am guessing the only reason he sells albums is his appearance, but thankfully his singing isn't the focus of the movie. He is at a hospital where he meets this really cute brunette nurse who has very pretty eyes. The rock star takes some time off and hires the nurse to watch out for him. They go driving and they end up in this town they like and he decides that this is where they will stay. They go to the realtors and ask them to show them the most possessed house in the area. Well that didn't happen, but it might as well have. At first when I learned that the house was fully automated, I figured it would be a house goes crazy movie. Then there was the scene with the blood in the shower so it had to be supernatural, hence lies the main problem of the movie. There really isn't a satisfactory explanation as to why the house is possessed. I really felt the ending was a bit abrupt as well. On the plus side I wanted to see a haunted house movie and on that it delivered. There are some death scenes, the closing gate scene being the best, but you could almost predict what was going to happen before it did. The story moves like it is going to some super finish where all is revealed, but like I said nothing is really revealed except for the houses motivation for acting up. You do, however, get to watch a very cute brunette through the whole movie and after the beginning you don't have to put up with any more songs by the awful rock star...well one more, but it really isn't a big deal. Not a great movie, but it has its moments and it was a rather good haunted house movie.
Mikew3001 A nice 1981 b-horror movie starring the late Joan Bennett and Slim Pickens about a burnt-out pop singer moving with a nurse to a high-tech-house to find out that his new building has an evil intelligence and no regrets to kill its habitants.This TV production is a b-movie flick with a good horror atmosphere, similar to the late Hammer Horror TV shows and several Twilight Zone episodes, and an eerie Theremin-like mystery sound track. Unfortunately the film lacks of good actors, thrills and good special effects.In fact, this movie was just made twelve years before "Jurassic Park" but shows primitive special effects like suddenly opening doors or some flame overdubs to suggest a heavy fire that were even better produced in the 1933 version of "King Kong"."This House Possessed" is not good enough to become a horror classic and also not weird enough to become a classic entry in Michael Weldon's "Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film". At least it's thrilling and great fun to watch after midnight with a bag of crisps and a can of lager beer.
liderc I remember I saw this movie when I was a child. The directing is very good, as is the photography, the editing and the music. The music is fabulous. The strange synthesizer effects, the usage of a special musical theme for some of the main characters. Even the opening theme from the first minutes of the movie is great!! The story is also very good. This movie is really a must-see if you like haunted-house movies.