La residencia

Even though The House That Screamed looks quite ordinary, and even though you might feel that it's simply going to be some kind of wannabe Spanish giallo, Narciso Ibáñez Serrador focused on the horror atmosphere, which worked perfectly. The atmosphere is thick, the film has just about everything, the finale isn't sloppy, and it doesn’t amount to simply a simple revelation. In fact, it's a pretty scary blow to the viewer. (2019.06.17)

I often have trouble rating old films like this because time has made them lose all of their scary, but I still don’t feel like harming them with a low star rating. In the case of The House That Screamed, I have no such worries, it has many scenes that are still incredibly atmospheric if not dreadful. It’s a pity, though, that the beautifully escalating and tense climax doesn’t last a bit longer, while the slow beginning could also be shorter. But those are only minor quibbles about this excellent film. (2008.10.27)