Haunts of the Very Rich

The more experienced and knowledgeable fans of the horror genre will undoubtedly agree with me when I state that pretty much all the great cinematic horror classics, whether from the US or outside of American borders, have already been re-discovered and released in fancy deluxe DVD editions. The only market segment where you can still occasionally stumble upon a genuinely original, surprising and completely undiscovered hidden horror gem is in the TV-movie archives of the 1970's. I often don't comprehend where they keep coming from, but this era produced literally dozens and dozens of worthwhile and even downright terrific horror material. "Haunts of the very Rich" is a typical one of these lost treasures. Never heard about it before, but the cast and crew are excellent and the synopsis promises a story that is both absorbing and unsettling. A group of people, all strangers to each other, meet on a luxurious airplane on their way to a holiday resort. Nobody really knows exactly how they ended up there, most of them certainly didn't plan to be there, and the longer they are there, more mysteries gradually unfold. I will naturally not reveal the "twist-ending", even though several of the reviews around here bluntly do so, but I can at least confirm that it is unique, macabre and groundbreaking. That is to say, if you manage to place it in its time and surrounding, because nowadays the ultimate theme of the film has been overdone and endlessly exploited. Furthermore is "Haunts of the Very Rich" worth checking out for the excellent cast alone already. Specialist company ABC and experienced TV-movie director Paul Wendkos, who also made "The Legend of Lizzie Borden" and "Good against Evil", managed to enlist names like Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Anne Francis, Robert Reed and Donna Mills. If you can find it anywhere, don't hesitate.

HAUNTS OF THE VERY RICH begins on a charter flight to The Portals Of Eden, which is a secret destination kept from the passengers.

Upon arrival, the group, including a grumpy, bigoted businessman (Ed Asner), a disillusioned priest (Robert Reed), a burned out socialite (Anne Francis), an unfaithfully married playboy (Lloyd Bridges), a newlywed couple (Tony Bill and Donna Mills), and a lonely woman (Cloris Leachman), find themselves in a veritable paradise, where they're met by a mysterious man named Seacrist (Moses Gunn).

At first, everything is like a dream come true. Then, odd things commence- a snake in a bed, a tropical storm, a power / phone outage, etc. In no time, what was a perfect heaven on earth changes into a jungle hell! With the extreme heat and humidity, everyone is on edge. Some, far more than others.

Isolated and growing desperate, nothing goes right. More bizarre, even deadly things take place. What is happening? Where are these people... really?

HOTVR is another wonderful made-for-TV movie from the 1970's. Some have compared it to FANTASY ISLAND and / or the TWILIGHT ZONE. Toss NIGHT GALLERY or CIRCLE OF FEAR into the mix as well, as there's more horror than anything else. Very well-done with a great finale...

Well-regarded ABC movie-of-the-week involves a group of seemingly disparate airplane passengers (including a malcontent from the Bronx, a priest, a newlywed couple, and a homely spinster who blossoms after a makeover) who have either responded to an advertisement or were led unawares aboard a flight to a mysterious destination; once they land in a tropical, isolated paradise, the question is why were they chosen to be there--and how will they ever get back home. Familiar cast of faces from TV do satisfactory work, though they bicker endlessly with each other and come up with colorless, vacant characterizations. Writer William Wood, working from T.K. Brown III's original story, steers the melodrama to a 'shocking' conclusion, but much of his dialogue is overwrought. As the island host who mysteriously vanishes, Moses Gunn might have been the template for Ricardo Montalban's future Mr. Roarke, but no fantasies are produced here.

A very dramatic thriller, a movie that leaves you thinking whether the end can be a possibility in the world we are living, either to believers or non-believers. Filmed with very few FX, and very good scenery, just the necessary dialogs and a plot that seizes you and keeps you stuck to the screen till the end credits. If it can be found it is a collector's item that should be in a collector's shelf. Performing actors are very well chosen and masterly directed to comply with the script requirements. The audience can see many resemblances to known people, living or dead, in each of the characters; and, why not, see their own lives partially or totally depicted in one or more of the characters.

Prolific Aaron Spelling produced this TV-movie from 1972 that bore a striking similarity to the Ricardo Montalban hit. Boasting a cast of familiar television performers (Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Edward Asner, Robert Reed, Anne Francis, and Donna Mills), the story deals with wealthy vacationers that find themselves stranded at the "resort from hell." With a few plot twists and turns, the movie keeps the viewer gripped until the final seconds, when they learn the "truth," although the audience has been in on the "secret," midway through the telecast.

Moses Gunn plays the mysterious "host" with a mixture of hospitality and menace. His glistening white outfit belies that fact that he may not seem as friendly as he appears.

Though predictable, "Haunts of the Very Rich" is still a cut above the "based on actual events" films that populate television movies of the present.