The House That Would Not Die (1970)

A woman and her niece move into an ancestral house in the Amish countryside haunted by two ghosts from the Revolutionary War.

Director:

John Llewellyn Moxey

Writers:

Henry Farrell, Barbara Michaels (novel)

Stars:

Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Egan, Michael Anderson Jr.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Ruth Bennett
Richard Egan	...	Pat McDougal
Michael Anderson Jr.	...	Stan Whitman
Kitty Winn	...	Sara Dunning (as Katherine Winn)
Doreen Lang	...	Sylvia Wall
Mabel Albertson	...	Mrs. McDougal

Storyline

This movie centers on Ruth Bennett and her niece Sara Dunning. They move into the house of Ruth's recently deceased aunt and shortly thereafter they learn the house is possessed by two ghosts of the original owners who were from the time of the Revolutionary War. Shortly after arriving Ruth discovers a family Bible hidden in a secret compartment of a roll top desk. Contained within is the name of the original owner which includes the name of his deceased wife and also a name that has been crossed out in ink. As the movie progresses we learn the identity of this person and the reason for it being obliterated through the possession of niece Sara and Pat McDougal.

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Plot Keywords:

bible | abc movie of the week | psychotronic film | possession | sports car | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 October 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Geisterhaus

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aaron Spelling Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The German poster features an image of Jessica Harper from Suspiria (1977).

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Goofs

In the scene where Sarah comes in, and the others are already there, she has a break in character, and ultimately faints. She is wearing a short skirt and long socks when she comes in and faints. But when they move her to the couch, she is wearing trousers and no socks.

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Connections

Referenced in Evil Breed: The Legend of Samhain (2003)

User Reviews

One of the all-time great ghost stories.

The house That Would Not Die is one of the all-time great ghost stories ever filmed. In fact, the only thing wrong about it is that it's total running time was only about 75 minutes to fit into a 90-minute time slot. It should have been a full ninety minutes or longer and released to theaters. Ruth Bennett (played by the great Barbara Stanwyck who hands off scene after scene to her younger co-stars to let them shine in their own right) inherits a centuries-old house built before the Revolutionary War, in the Amish Country of Pennsylvania. The original owner, General Douglas Campbell, was suspected of collaborating with the British during the war. His daughter, Amanda (Ammie) and her boyfriend, American Soldier Anthony Doyle, confront him, and they disappear shortly after, ostensibly eloping. For the rest of his life, Old General Campbell roams the countryside calling: "Ammie, come home!", a cry heard two hundred years later by Stanwyck and her young niece, Sara Dunning (played by the pretty and very talented Kitty Wynn, after they move into the house. Aided by Stan Whitman (played by Michael Anderson, Jr., another very talented actor), and Professor Pat McDougal (played by another great actor, Richard Egan) they endeavor to discover the reason why the general is still searching for his long-lost daughter after two hundred years. The resolution and climax of this exciting ghost story will have one and all riveted to the edge of their seats, especially if properly viewed at midnight, Saturday night, during a thunderstorm with howling winds and crashing thunder.