House of the Damned (1963)

A movie filled with filler, 22 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  An architect takes his wife along on a job to survey a huge, old, abandoned mansion.  But after the power mysteriously goes out, keys go missing, and they hear strange noises, the couple start to wonder if they’re really alone.   

For a film that runs just barely over an hour, there’s a shocking amount of filler to be found in House of the Damned.  From unnecessary scenes of driving to endless moments of key turning to a long phone call that leads absolutely nowhere, a goodly chunk of the movie’s runtime is devoted to things that do nothing to further the plot.  I’d estimate there are only about five minutes of screen-time that feature anything you’d consider remotely chilling. Merry Anders and Ron Foster make a likeable couple, but unfortunately, they have nothing to do. The ending is a complete disaster.  Suddenly and without warning, all of the characters come together and decide to (mercifully) end the thing. The biggest positive I can come up with is the cinematography. The movie looks much better than it has any right to. Overall, a real snoozer of a movie.

3/10