3.3/10
408
15 user 24 critic

House of the Living Dead (1974)

On a South African plantation, a maniac is on the loose, first killing the estate's animals, then starting on the human members.

Director:

Ray Austin

Writers:

Marc Marais (screenplay) (as Marc de V. Marais), John Brason (original story)
Reviews
1 win. See more awards »

Photos

Edit

Cast

Cast overview:
Mark Burns ... Sir Michael Brattling / Dr. Breckinridge Brattling
Shirley Anne Field ... Mary Anne Carew
David Oxley ... Dr. Collinson
Margaret Inglis Margaret Inglis ... Lady Brattling
Dia Sydow Dia Sydow ... Lena
Lynne Maree Lynne Maree ... Annie
Bill Flynn Bill Flynn ... Simeon
Nobby Clark Nobby Clark ... Capt. Turner (as William Baird Clark)
Ronald France Ronald France ... Col. Pringle
Don Furnival Don Furnival ... Brand
Pieter Geldenhuys Pieter Geldenhuys ... Shoemaker (as Peter Geldenhuys)
Ben Dekker Ben Dekker ... Jan
Limpie Basson Limpie Basson ... Hugo de Groot
Amina Gool Amina Gool ... Aia Kat
Edit

Storyline

A mad scientist (Mark Burns) is conducting hideous occult experiments at the family estate of Brattling Manor, monkeying about with things man was not meant to know, including the transfer and containment of living souls. It's only a matter of time before he begins to experiment on the souls of human beings - including his own family. Written by Ørnås

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

It drives you mad before it kills! See more »

Genres:

Horror

Certificate:

See all certifications »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was shot under the title "Shadows over Bridge Place," but later released as "House of the Living Dead" and "Curse of the Dead" to cash in on the then-popular zombie movies, even though there are no zombies in the movie whatsoever. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore (2010) See more »

User Reviews

 
A dull mystery/horror film...most will know what the ending will be long before it gets there
13 February 2014 | by Aaron1375See all my reviews

I got this film in a twelve pack of films that are zombie themed. This one should not have been included as there is nothing about this film that is zombie oriented. It is more mystery, but that is not very true either as it is not very difficult to see where this film is going if one has seen more than a couple of horror films during their lifetime. It was somewhat interesting at first though as I was wondering what was going to be happening as I still held out hope there would be zombies or something within the film. Not so late in the film, though, it became apparently clear how it would end so I spent a good portion of the film continually looking at the clock counter on the DVD player hoping it would hurry up and finish. Suffice to say, it was worth one look so I could properly review, but not a film I would ever care to pop in the player again during my lifetime.

The story has a plantation in Africa experiencing some problems. It is occupied by a mother and her two sons. One of the sons seems to be experimenting on animals while the other tries to keep the plantation together as a couple of people end up dead. This brother also has a fiancé coming in from London and his mother does not approve at all. More strange things happens as the film races to its somewhat bizarre, but thoroughly predictable ending.

The movie was just dull, as I said it started out interestingly enough as a man works on a monkey, but then there are just a lot of dead scenes that really add nothing to the plot. As the movie progresses it becomes less and less interesting as it is so obvious what is going on so all you are waiting for at this point is the ending to pop up. Thankfully, it did finally come on screen and I was more than happy to eject it and put it away. That being said, it is not terrible as the acting is decent, just to dull and predictable a story for my tastes.


3 of 3 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 15 user reviews »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Edit

Details

Country:

South Africa

Language:

English | Afrikaans

Release Date:

12 August 1974 (South Africa) See more »

Also Known As:

Curse of the Dead See more »

Filming Locations:

South Africa

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »

Contribute to This Page



Recently Viewed