(Streamed via Classic Movie Vault)
Ghosts of Hanley House is the kind of obscure horror flick I enjoy stumbling upon. It’s a regional feature with no name stars and even less of a budget. It’s also notable for being written and directed by a woman, Louise Sherrill. It’s a shame she didn’t direct anything else. Although the film as a whole isn’t always successful, Sherrill shows some ingenuity when it comes to creating atmosphere with obviously very few resources at her disposal.
A guy and his friend make a friendly wager in their neighborhood bar: If he can stay one night in the haunted Hanley House, he’ll hand over the keys to his Ferrari. He eagerly agrees, calls up some pals, and together they have a party in the abominable abode. Naturally, one of his friends happens to be a psychic, and during a séance, the ghosts show themselves to be very real.
Sherrill delivers a strong pre-title sequence that sets the mood nicely. As the camera tours through Hanley House, doors slam, thunder crashes, and women scream. The sound effects coupled with the ominous music almost makes it feel like something out of an old radio show. The stark black and white cinematography is also well done. The shots of people standing in front of a black background are eerily effective, and some scenes are reminiscent of Night of the Living Dead.
You also have to give Sherrill credit as a screenwriter. In most of these movies, you wonder why the people just don’t automatically leave the house at the first sign of danger. Here, the hero has a very good reason for staying: A Ferrari!
Ghosts of Hanley House starts off in fine fashion. Sherrill doles out low key but effective chills throughout the first act. I also enjoyed the great acid rock soundtrack during the early scenes. I especially liked it when it was blaring over the dialogue to disguise the fact they didn’t have synchronized sound for the outdoor scenes.
Unfortunately, the movie quickly take a nosedive in quality and it never quite recovers. The film pretty much slams on the brakes in the second half when the group decides to leave the house and wind up getting lost in the woods. From there, the picture slowly peters out until it reaches its thoroughly unsatisfactory conclusion. (The axe murder flashback is the only highlight of the otherwise dreary finale.) Still, it’s worth a look for the promising early scenes that play almost like a no budget remake of The Haunting.
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