Sunday, October 30, 2016

House of the Damned (1963)

October Challenge Day 28:

The movie store was hustling and bustling this Friday before Halloween! As I made my way to the horror movie section, nestled in a corner room that is both creepy and a little silly, I found three boys already hanging out there, musing over their movie options.

These three kids could have been plucked right from the Stranger Things series. It was super cute to see! As they were laughing at classic titles, oooohing and ahhhhing over gruesome DVD covers, I felt I had to intervene - just a little bit.

"You guys should totally check out the Hammer Horror collection over here", I said as I pointed to the store's impressive inventory. They immediately started laughing "Hammer Horror, hahahahaha!" Well, I tried. But apparently the words Hammer and Horror together was just too much for them. I'm sure they were picturing a movie series where a killer hammer is on the loose.

In any case, I pulled this film from the "If You Like Hammer Horror..." collection, and told myself that although they may not understand Hammer Horror now, just maybe I made some sort of impression they'll appreciate later.

On to House of the Damned....


Well, it started out creepy and strange, proceeded to wind it's finger around the curiouser and curiouser, but then the very end happened and I swear I heard a balloon deflate and sputter around the room with sad sounds.

This film is well-made, has great cinematography, and is chilling and strange - it's just the end, the "unveiling" is, ah, no. Frankly, the very end is odd and uncomfortable in an awkward way.

I can see this as a fun one with friends for a goofy late Saturday night, but I would warn against investing too much attention for fear of the sad disappointment feeling. I don't want you to experience the sad disappointment I did.

Pairs with scary looking jello dishes, bitter married couples, and martinis.

I rented this movie from my local video store (Rain City Video). Use the links under Find It. Watch It. on Horror Habit's sidebar to see where else you can find this lackluster feature.

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