This is a great haunted house story from 1973, starring Pamela Franklin as Florence Tanner, a mental medium. Roddy McDowell as Ben Fisher, a physical medium and last survivor of a previous attempt to rid the evil of haunted Belasco House. Dr. Barrett (Clive Revill), is a physicist that is determined to unravel the secrets of Belasco House under strictly scientific terms. Dr. Barrett reluctantly brings his wife Ann (Gayle Hunnicutt) along on this expedition. Brilliantly written in 1971 by horror master Richard Matheson, and brought to the screen by John Hough in 1973 under Richard Matheson's strictly rewritten screenplay. Anyone not familiar with Richard Matheson, just check the writers' credit on almost any Twilight Zone episode and you'll surely see his name.
Dr. Barrett (Clive Revill) is approached by a rich old eccentric who has one foot in the grave and is very adamant about learning about life after death since he's utterly close to dying himself. He recruits Dr. Barrett a physicist, Florence Tanner (a mental medium), and Benjamin Fisher (a physical medium) to study a well-known haunted house. All will receive $100,000 for proof of the afterlife.
Belasco House, better known as "Hell House", is also known as "the Mt. Everest of haunted houses". Emeric Belasco was a pure deviant, whose escapades included drug addiction, bestiality, orgies, vampirism, murder, rape, cannibalism, ... among a selection of even more atrocious goodies. This reputation ensures in everyone's mind that Emeric Belasco is the full power behind the haunting and the sole reason for the evil within.
Upon entering the house, Ms. Tanner has a strong feeling that things are not what they seem... and that the house is well aware that its guests have arrived. They notice what appears to be a chapel, a sort of "Church in Hell", just off the main hall. Again, Ms. Tanner is repelled and finds herself unable to enter the church. (by the way, the body on the crucifix has a devil's head).
On with the tour: While the rest of the group is still touring the church. Ms. Tanner follows a sound and it is soon found the be a phonograph playing. On it is a "Welcome to my house, hope you enjoy your visit, don't get killed ... blah, blah, blah. sort of a thing"
Florence does a few "sittings" to try to make contact. During the first one, she has spirits talk through her. During the second, she emits ectoplasm. The third time produces all out poltergeist activity. The activity is then declared as the physical manifestations that a mental medium usually cannot achieve. Ms. Tanner is very surprised as is everyone else, constantly repeating "But, I'm only a mental medium".
Soon after, Ms. Tanners is visited by what she feels to be the ghost of Daniel Belasco, son of house owner Emeric Belasco. She has her linens thrown at her, by an obviously pissed-off ghost, who even opens and slams the door when he leaves. Ms.Tanner becomes rather fascinated with Daniel Belasco, even though everyone else in the group thinks that she's crazy and that there was no Daniel Belasco. With her mental abilities, Ms. Tanner searches the house for proof of Daniel Belasco... she finds him inside a wall, buried alive, chained to the wall, and left for dead. Florence and Ben give Daniel an appropriate burial and funeral, but it doesn't seem to help. His spirit still abounds and contacts Florence in a dream. The dream becomes erotic and Daniel appears to be having intercourse with her. She opens her eyes and screams. Upon responding to her scream, Ben comes to her aid and finds her hysterically laughing. At this point, she is obviously possessed by someone that we can only assume is the spirit of Daniel Belasco.
Meanwhile, Ben remembers something Ms. Tanner said during a trance about "terminations and extremities". He soon makes connections that everyone in the group he went in with when he was much younger had something happen to their legs.... one fell and broke both legs, one had a back injury that paralyzed him from the waist down, one lady's legs were accidentally burned near the fireplace. Fisher starts putting two and two together... "terminations and extremities"... means legs.
Meanwhile, Dr. Barrett is finishing a machine he arrived with called "The Reversor", which apparently has the ability to reverse any negative energy that still exists in the house. Thus, proving his theory that hauntings are just mindless energy that has yet to be expelled. Differing from Dr.Barrett's theory, Florence tries unsuccessfully to smash it. She hits the machine, and Dr. Barrett hits her and knocks her out. She awakens and sneaks into the church unseen. She begs for Daniel to meet with her there. She hears a creak and turns around just in time to see the crucifix fall and crush her. Before she dies, she writes (in her own blood) the letter "B" in a circle. She whispers softly before she dies... "You tricked me".
Dr. Barrett sets up his machine and the others go outside. After the machine has performed its capabilities, they re-enter, seemingly to find the house clear of ghosts. Dr. Barrett is overjoyed until slowly the Reversor starts to indicate negative energy again and proves to be a complete failure. A failure that Dr. Barrett cannot comprehend. As the phenomena of evil swirl around him, he screams in anguish just before being crushed by a falling candelabra.
This leaves only Ben and Ann. Ann is clueless, but Ben has it all figured out. He starts bitching at the church because that's where Belasco's visage remains. Ben starts making fun of Belasco's height. Extremities and terminations. Ben continues... Your mother was a bitch! You're probably not even 5 ft tall!! This causes the stained glass behind where the crucifix was, to shatter and reveal a room. Upon entering, Belasco is right there (stuffed and preserved of course), with a glass of brandy still in his hand. Ben takes his pocketknife and stabs Belasco in the knee, finding a fake leg where a real one should be. Apparently, he was so ashamed of his own shortness, he had his own legs cut off and wore taller fake ones instead. If thine eye offend thee... pluck it out. Just before leaving, they notice that the room in which Belasco lies is completely lined with lead, which was what rendered the Reversor ineffective. Ben activates the Reversor again now that Belasco's body and spirit are exposed which actually does work this time. As Ann and Ben are leaving the house for good, they realize that it is Christmas day and Ben makes sure to wish Ann a happy one.
While this is a really good haunted house story, it differs wildly from the book. Richard Matheson had to seriously tone down the graphic sex and horror described in the book in order to make it acceptable for the big screen. The movie may have been scary, but the book literally scared the piss out of me. And this was written by the same man that gave us such romantic tales like Somewhere in Time and What Dreams May Come. He also gave us The Incredible Shrinking Man and I Am Legend. Now that is some serious writing versatility.
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