Death at Love House (1976) (TV)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

E.W. Swackhamer

Writer:

James Barnett (writer)

Release Date:

3 September 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

Donna and Joel Gregory are researching a book about long dead Hollywood goddess Lorna Love. They are...

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Hollywood | Spirit | Actress | Demon

Cast

Robert Wagner	...	Joel Gregory (Jr. & Sr.)
Kate Jackson	...	Donna Gregory
Sylvia Sidney	...	Clara Josephs
Marianna Hill	...	Lorna Love (in flashback)
Joan Blondell	...	Marcella Geffenhart
John Carradine	...	Conan Carroll
Dorothy Lamour	...	Denise Christian
Bill Macy	...	Oscar Payne
Joseph Bernard	...	Bus driver
John A. Zee	...	Eric Herman
Robert Gibbons	...	Director
Al Hansen	...	Policeman
Crofton Hardester	...	Actor in film

Also Known As:

The Shrine of Lorna Love (USA)

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Harold Lloyd's Greenacres Estate - 1740 Green Acres Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Spelling-Goldberg Productions

Swipe of Dark Shadows

Attractive husband and wife writing team Robert Wagner (as Joel Gregory) and Kate Jackson (as Donna Gregory) arrive at the spooky mansion of actress "Lorna Love" (actually, silent film star Harold Lloyd's house). Mr. Wagner and Ms. Jackson are contracted to write the silent movie star's biography. Wagner has a personal interest in the project, since his father was once the famed star's lover. Mysterious events unfold, and Jackson must fight to save her husband from the spirit of the beautiful blonde, who is "perfectly preserved" in a crypt on the estate; moreover, the evil woman seems bent on possessing her husband and murdering Jackson!

This is very much a "Night of Dark Shadows" variation, co-starring genuine "Dark Shadows" alumni Kate Jackson, who knows and plays her part well. Robert Wagner lacks David Selby's intensity. Sylvia Sidney (as Mrs. Josephs) sidesteps Grayson Hall. Marianna Hill is not a match for Lara Parker (or Diana Millay). Bill Macy (as Oscar Payne) is good in a part that would have been played by John Karlen (in a Dan Curtis production).

There are smooth cameos by Joan Blondell, John Carradine, and Dorothy Lamour. Ms. Lamour's delivery resembles Joan Bennett, which begs the question: why didn't producer Aaron Spelling get more of the original "Dark Shadows" regulars?

Director E.W. Swackhamer was Bridget Hanley's husband; he worked with Ms. Blondell on "Here Come the Brides", and with Jackson on "The Rookies". "Death at Love House" has, arguably, a tighter storyline than the "Night of Dark Shadows" film; it differs in the movie star angle; and, in its "Father Eternal Fire" ending, it more closely resembles the TVseries' "Laura the Phoenix" storyline.