House of the Damned is a slick little horror/suspense film that runs along smoothly until it is let down by its very own ending. Up until that moment when all is made clear, the film kept you intrigued with its nice blend of genres and excitement. And while writer Harry Spalding probably had the best of intentions on turning in a good script, it requires every part of it to be good, not just three quarters of it.  This could have been a terrific film and instead, it was merely average.

The film stars Ronald Foster as Scott Campbell, an architect who could use some work and accepts a job from his friend Joe, as portrayed by Richard Crone. Merry Anders, who plays Scott’s wife Nancy, is glad to hear of it and together they head on up to the old Rochester place, which has had its fair share of scandal over the years, to see what needs doing. But once in the house, first Nancy, and then Scott, get the feeling that they are not alone as things that cannot be explained start happening.  When Joe and his wife arrive, the situation starts to get out of control and all of them will soon learn what has been going on, for better or worse.

As a haunted house film, it has many of the same tropes and clichés as many movies of a similar ilk do, The number thirteen makes an appearance, specifically the number of keys it takes to open the fifty doors in the house. You see furtive figures darting about the place, always out of sight from our protagonists and never fully seen. There are objects that go missing and then mysteriously reappear later, as well as locked doors that no one can enter. And to top it all off, no house that is supposed to be haunted can do without the obligatory black cat.

There is some really wonderful cinematography by John M. Nickolaus Jr. in the film which really plays to the atmosphere Spalding and director Maury Dexter were aiming for. The inside of the house is dark and murky and feels claustrophobic at times in complete contrast to the exterior of the building which is up in the hills and surrounded by wide open sky, not to mention a lake in the distance. It plays to the viewer’s emotions, as well as the characters within, that when in the house you feel dread, you feel small and you cannot wait to get out.  When outside you can breathe again, it is safe and calm and nothing can harm you.  On creating a suspenseful atmosphere, the film succeeded on all points.

Coming to the end of the film, it was anticlimactic and so matter of fact; it just sucked the life out of whatever suspense, horror and intrigue it had attained thus far into the picture. It was a real shame as well, as the movie had been so good up until that point and the slow buildup looked like it was going to pay off. For one moment to deflate the movie in such a way as it did, it makes you wonder if that was the original ending and if that was what the plan had been all along. Some people might like the ending and think it appropriate, perhaps even a novel way of finishing the film. Most though, will likely not.

There are things to like about this film and it is worth watching at least once for the true horror aficionado. Most of the film was truly entertaining and a nice little thriller that made off really well with the use of shadows and lighting in substitution of any special effects. There were good performances all around by our cast and the film really hooked you in, as a good haunted house story should do. The movie as a whole though, just did not work as much as you might have wished it would.

2.75 out of 5