The Legend of Hell House (1973) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - July 25, 1973

If Die Hard can qualify as a Christmas movie, then so can 1973's The Legend of Hell House. Hey, the movie ends on Christmas Eve, after all.

The Legend of Hell House was one of a baker's dozen or so movies that were broadcast staples on the local syndicated stations I grew up watching. Whenever The Legend of Hell House aired, I was good as glued to the television until it was over.

I did not crack open the source novel until 1985, or thereabouts. The differences between the far more graphic book and the much subtler film took me by surprise, but made for a zesty and memorable read.

IDW published a four part comic book adaptation of Hell House in 2005. One that hewed closer to the novel than it did to this film version. It was also quite good.