The House of Seven Corpses is a horror movie made on a budget about a horror movie being made on a budget. While it may not have been all that original, though more so in 1974 than it is now, the film which was supposed to be a horror was ultimately not scary whatsoever, but it was a lot of fun. Does entertainment balance the books when you expect something else going into a movie and not receiving it? Not always, but in this particular case, it was.

The picture finds John Ireland starring as Eric Hartman, a director who is filming his new movie in a house where John Carradine is the caretaker. Said house also happens to be the scene where an entire family was murdered, seven members to be exact. As the production goes on, troubles become known, though mostly between the cast members which includes Fatih Domergue and Carole Wells among their number. As faith would have it though, the killer rises from the grave thanks to a bit of magic and history is about to repeat itself which was easily predictable from the moment the movie started.

Ireland was good as the lead nailing the feelings of frustration needed to deal with the cast and strict time restraints, as was Domergue and they had a good chemistry on-screen. In fact, despite the obviously low budget of the film, it was reasonably well-done with the actors and actresses being one of the highlights. It was a great thing as well that director Paul Harrison and Thomas J. Kelly wrote a good script and that it relied more upon the ability of its cast than special effects to deliver what was needed. What little fright was derived from the film came from the atmosphere and the setting itself, a reasonably dark and haunted mansion that would feel claustrophobic at times due to the lack of electricity and the fact that that Ireland’s character refused to let any of them leave until his picture was brought in successfully with the limited funds they had.

As it was, The House of Seven Corpses was in the very least enjoyable. It is not a film that anyone would most likely watch twice as once you have seen it, the magic sort of wears off and the fact that there is nothing to get your blood pumping in the way of scares is a bit of a let-down as well. Even Carradine’s part was not as large as it could have been, but anyone who considers themselves a fan of the horror icon will want to see this as he is his usual grandiose self and a little creepy to boot. The House of Seven Corpses is a good film that tried its best and if it had been able to frighten its viewers in any way, it could have been a great one.

3 out of 5