The Haunted House of Horror (1969) - film review

To perk themselves up after a flagging party, a group of swinging young Londoners head off for a deserted house which has a reputation for being haunted.  When one of their number is savagely murdered, the others agree to bury him in the countryside so that no one will suspect them of killing him.  A few days later, the friends agree to return to the house, at night, to recreate the circumstances of their first visit in an attempt to lure the killer out into the open.  With predictable results...

Definitely not one of the better examples of the slasher movie genre, even if it is competently directed by Michael Armstrong, the man who would subsequently helm the cult classic Mark of the Devil (1970).  With its risible dialogue (which appears to have been written by a computer with a very limited appreciation of normal human speech patterns) and stupendously idiotic plot, The Haunted House of Horror now feels like an intended parody of its genre, so excruciatingly bad in places that it is actually quite hilarious.

The late sixties saw a spate of low budget slasher films of this kind, although most were pale imitations of Hitchcock’s Psycho.  Consequently, there is absolutely no surprise when you learn that the mystery killer is the character who most resembles Anthony Perkins.  The only really frightening thing about this film are the costumes and the haircuts.  They truly are the stuff of nightmares.  Did people really once walk around London in broad daylight looking like that...?

© Alex Sullivan 2010

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