ThiefHott Too much of everything

Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Dotsthavesp I wanted to but couldn't!

XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

howardmorley I first saw this short 'B' film when I was about 16 in 1962 at the local cinema and have never forgotten its creepy story line.I searched for it in later years but since the only thing I could remember was actor Peter Dyneley (of Thinderbirds fame) playing the baddie, I was unable to track it down.Now here I am 54 years later being reacquainted with this creepy film courtesy of Youtube.com suggestions on my computer based on my viewing habits!I made a particular note of the actors and title this time in case I want to scare myself again.In 1962 your visit at the local cinema included a cartoon, Pathe News, a 'B' feature (like "House of Mystery).Trailers, followed by the "Big Picture".Ah those were the days!The other reviewers have dealt with the plot so I won't repeat it.I awarded it 7/10 taking into account the limited budget.

GManfred But Rod Serling could have done a better job with this material, since this kind of stuff was right up his alley. Good premise and good acting jobs by all concerned, and I have to say that these actresses did a better job of screaming than American women, who don't display the anguished facial expressions their British counterparts do.My objection is that the presentation, which was billed as a horror story, was rather tame by horror movie standards. It was not genuinely scary but more of a fantastic melodrama. I thought I was in for a good, old-fashioned fright film when the story began as a newly married couple tried to buy a house, which is presumably haunted by a ghost. Mercifully, the picture is only 56 minutes long so it didn't wear out its welcome, because the scares never came.

snicewanger I saw this movie for the first time on Kraft Mystery Theater in the summer of 1962.I was twelve years old and it gave me a real chill.I did not see it again until November of 2013. Over the years I had tried to find House of Mystery, but was unsuccessful until it was posted on YouTube. When, after half a century, I did view it again, I found to my delight, that I still was able to experience that delicious chill of fear, that I so love when i saw the climax.I have a great love of ghost stories. The Uninvited, The Haunting, The Innocents, and on television such fare as the Thriller episode, The Hungry Glass" are all favorites of mine and House of Mystery ranks with them. The pace is quick and has the same feel as one of those "B" shockers from the 1940's. It also has an effective and spooky musical score to add add to the viewers goosebumps. Jane Hylton's performance particularly stands out. If, like me, you are a fan of classic English ghost stories then I think you will enjoy House of Mystery. It's not easy to locate but it is worth the search.

Coventry "House of Mystery" is an extremely obscure and unknown little film, but if you do eventually encounter a review for it on the internet left or right, it's always very positive and praising. That's the main reason why I tracked it down, actually, since I'm continuously on the lookout for hidden gems in the horror genre. Another thing motivating me to look for a copy was the name of director Vernon Sewell. Sewell definitely isn't the most prominent of British horror directors from the 1960's and 1970's, but he nevertheless made a couple of interesting hit-and-miss films, like "The Horrors of Burke & Hare", "Ghost Ship", "The Blood Beast Terror" and "The Curse of the Crimson Altar". Sadly I have to announce that "House of Mystery" honestly isn't an undiscovered masterpiece. It's a modest, compelling and moderately engaging little thriller with a few good ideas and admirably tense atmosphere, but the conclusion isn't nearly as shocking as build up towards to. With its short running time of barely 56 minutes and abrupt transitions between scenes, "House of Mystery" feels more like an episode in a supernaturally themed TV-show, like Alfred Hitchcock Presents or something. The plot is about a young couple scouting for affordable houses on the British countryside and stumbling upon one that is extremely well-priced considering its size and condition. Obviously there's a minor catch, because the curious female caretaker tells them about the house's dark past. It seems another young couple already bought the house before them and they had problems with the lamps and the TV-set, as a result of electrical impulses around the house going bonkers. The house was originally owned by an electrical engineer Mark Lemming, who discovered that his wife and her lover wanted him dead and invented a little game to get even. "House of Mystery" has a bizarre flashback within flashback narrative structure of which I don't really understand the added value. The couple listens to the story of another innocent couple's bad experiences with the house. How they hired a paranormal detective and how they witnessed a séance to discover the truth. What exactly is the point of all these extra characters? Also, the more you contemplate about the murder plot, the less sense it makes. The fiendish lovers try to kill Mark Lemming through electrocution. Hello, he's an electrical engineer!? Of course he saw through the plan. That's like wanting to kill Mike Tyson in a boxing ring. It just doesn't work. The flashback illustrating Lemming's vengeance abruptly ends without ever stating clear whatever happened to the survivors, so I really can't call it great thriller stuff even if I wanted to. The concept of domestic terror through electrical booby traps is creative and assures a few suspenseful sequences, but that still doesn't guarantee a horror sleeper hit.