Based on the case led by Ed and Lorraine Warren As soon as Ed and Lorraine Warren were not called by their skeptical contemporaries, who did not believe in any that paranormal researchers in their many works were telling the truth. Sometimes it is very difficult for people to believe that mysterious supernatural things happen next to dreams, which simply cannot be explained by the methods of traditional science. However, here it is worth admitting that the Warrens themselves often behaved rather eccentric and stirred up interest in their activities in all possible ways, because he brought them earnings. Until now, many detractors of the Warrens believe that they artificially invented a story with the ghosts of the house in Amityville, while the murders that occurred in it should be attributed solely to the mental disorder that occurred with the perpetrator of nightmares. In addition, one of the writers who wrote frightening stories based on the Warren investigations claimed that the researchers who hired him claimed that all the people who addressed them were in fact mentally ill, and that a book could be written without much attachment to the accuracy of their story. And yet, despite all these contentious moments, many of the Warren cases continue to stir the public imagination, and the Enfield incident is considered one of the most famous studies, whose details are as extensively and accurately captured on film as possible. For a long time, the figures of Ed and Lorraine Warren bypassed cinema, while their investigations were repeatedly filmed. But in 1991, they finally hit the screens in the guise of Stephen Markle and Diane Baker, who played the Warren couple in a film called “House of Ghosts”.
So, the plot of the film introduces us to Janet Smerl (Sally Kirkland) and her husband Jack (Jeffrey De Mann), who move to a new place of residence in an ancient mansion located in Pittston. The deal at first seems to the heroes quite winning, because at their disposal is a somewhat dilapidated, and yet luxurious house where you can safely arrange your life, but over time everything turns upside down. Janet begins to notice that in addition to the people in the house there is also a certain other force that grows stronger every day, as if gaining strength from the tenants who arrived in her monastery. Gradually, creaking, rustling and reflections begin to be replaced by a more active manifestation of the supernatural, and it becomes clear that Janet and Jack, who began to realize the danger of the current situation, will not cope with it. So it is necessary to invite a specialist in combating demonic forces to the mansion as soon as possible. The most obvious option is the priest, Father Kearney (William O'Connell), but after inspecting the house, he decided to recommend outside help to the Smerlls. It turns out that not far from the cursed mansion are the famous researchers of paranormal affairs, Ed (Markle) and Lorraine (Baker) Warrens, who have been helping people who have faced otherworldly forces for many years. And now they need to take on another dangerous case, in which, as you would expect, everything is not easy.
Unlike the film adaptation of the investigation of the case in Amityville, "House of ghosts" initially could not count on a large budget and a wide theatrical release, as the producers conceived to shoot a rather modest film for television. However, the Warrens did not see much difficulty in agreeing to shoot, because for them, any mention in the cinema meant increased attention to their activities. As the director of the film was chosen may not be the most famous, but rather prolific and very interesting Robert Mandel, whose asset was already a thriller “The Illusion of Murder” with incredibly popular in the 80s Brian Brown, which meant that despite certain material limitations, the director could bring to the story his special artistic vision. However, despite the intriguing source, the approval of the Warrens and a good director at the head of the filming process, it must be admitted that the Haunted Mansion turned out to be a typical horror craft of its time, which primarily may interest only fans of the Warren investigations, as well as the history of the genre. There are not many really scary moments in the film, and technically it is quite outdated, although it must be admitted that at the time of its release it looked quite tolerable. Nevertheless, a rather predictable plot, as well as not the most enthusiastic actors led to the fact that “House of Ghosts” was banally lost against the background of other horrors shot at the same time, and this is somewhat frustrating, because the first serious appearance of Ed and Lorraine Warren on the screen in a feature film could be much more memorable.
Of course, Robert Mandel’s film has a lot of problems that prevented it from becoming a genre classic, and yet this story deserves attention. Still, the dramatic basis of the tape is based on the famous study of the Warren House of Smerls, which actually occurred in 1986. Of course, skeptics are not sure that all the evidence presented by the couple for the existence of the supernatural, are true, and yet the Smerlov case thundered quite strongly around the world and it was quite interesting to see how it was adapted to a full-length television format. It’s also worth admitting that some of the practical effects that the creators of House of Ghosts used look quite remarkable and made to fame even with modest funding from the studio. And maybe such moments have lost the ability to scare, but it is still nice to know that at least some of the specialists who worked on the film, tried to do their job on conscience. Pretty good was here and the soundtrack, which has several melodies that can be remembered. Of course, it did not become extremely popular due to the general controversial adoption of the film, and nevertheless, the work of the composer here is also worth noting.
In the end, I want to say that “House of Ghosts” was not as tense and scary film as it could be, and yet there are some fascinating moments in this story that are worth taking into account. And fans of the investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren, this tape should be taken into account necessarily, because it presents the researchers of the paranormal on the screen and introduces them into active action, whereas previously their similar fate in art cinema was not awarded.
5 out of 10