The House in Nightmare Park

1977 "Ladies and Gentlemen - For Your Horrification - Don't See It Alone - Bring The Children"
5.7| 1h32m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 01 September 1977 Released
Producted By: Associated London Films
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Comedy legend Frankie Howerd stars as the victim of sinister shenanigans in this hilarious spoof of British horror films of the early ‘70s. Starring Hugh Burden and Oscar winner Ray Milland, and written by Terry Nation. Foster Twelvetrees, a struggling tragedian who scrapes a living by giving hammy performances from the classics, can hardly believe his luck when he’s invited to give a dramatic reading at the country home of a well-off family. Joy soon turns to outraged horror when he discovers dead bodies, foul intentions, lots of snakes and a madwoman in the attic. Can he uncover the hidden family secret before he comes to a sticky end..?

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Reviews

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!
ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Abbigail Bush what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
Portia Hilton Blistering performances.
kathriley-203-948026 This has become a bit of a cult film for our family. Two branches meet and we have to watch house on nightmare park. Yes the humour is crass, but we love it. We know the one liners and get a kick out of being the first to say them, ' I was only showing her my little Nell', ' you filthy swine' etc. Excellent British non pic humour.
Leofwine_draca How much you enjoy this film depends on how much you like Frankie Howerd, the silly comedian famous for his roles in UP POMPEII and the CARRY ON series. If you hate him, then deduct a star from the rating. If you're a great fan of his, then add on a star. Although most of the film largely hinges around Howerd's character, there is also much more to savour. The plot is essentially that of a haunted house mystery, and digs up all the old clichés of moving statues of armour and the like. The bickering family, murderous over a will, is also an old chestnut and it's safe to say that there aren't many chills (apart from the mad old woman at the end taking her veil off) or surprises to be had when watching this contrived film.However the costumes and scenery, including the authentic Victorian house, are very nice to look at, and there is also a good ensemble cast, the acting honours going to Hugh Burden as Reginald, whose trademark catchphrase "swine" manages to be repeatedly funny, and Ray Milland as a seemingly polite but inherently psychotic host. With a good, spooky score to keep things moving along, a lively screenplay by Terry Nation (DR WHO) and above-average direction by Peter Sykes (TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER), THE HOUSE IN NIGHTMARE PARK is an atmospheric piece which sufficiently retains the viewer's interest to the very end. However, comedy also plays a main part in the film, and while being variable at times (including some sniggering humour about breasts), it's rather good, but I may be biased in saying this.There are two scenes which stand out in sheer hilarity terms, the first being the dinner table scene where Howerd is unable to get any breakfast, and the second being the 'dance of the dolls', where three respected actors dress up in white makeup and pretend to be mannequins. It's certainly something you won't see anywhere else. Frankie Howerd is immensely likable in the central role, but whether you find his jokes funny or not, well that's up to you. Let's just say they're of the usual variety and he essentially plays himself. I found that while there weren't many laugh-out-loud moments there were certainly lots of smiling, knowing humour, including a blatant reference to PSYCHO. THE HOUSE IN NIGHTMARE PARK, hampered by a clichéd, average plot, nevertheless turns out to be a fairly enjoyable hour and a half of thrills and chills.
Paul Andrews The House in Nightmare Park is set in England during 1907 & starts as stage actor Foster Twelvetrees (Frankie Howerd) is invited to perform his one man show at an old stately mansion owned by Stewart Hendersen (Ray Milland) & his sick brother. More of the Hendersen family arrive & seem to start arguing about money & their sick brother, Foster learns that he is in fact the rightful heir to the Hendersen fortune as well as a million pounds of diamonds that are hidden somewhere in the manor. Unaware that he holds the clue to the diamonds whereabouts the Hendersen's try to trick Foster into revealing where they are but to no avail, soon the bodies start piling up as someone in the house will kill for the diamonds & wealth they will bring. Can Foster survive long enough to solve the clues & find the diamonds?This unjustly obscure British production was directed by Peter Sykes & is a mix of dark Gothic Victorian horror, innuendo laced comedy & gags & a murder mystery whodunit all neatly packaged together in an old dark house style chiller. The script effectively juggles laughs, one-liners, a bit of horror, a passable murder mystery, some hidden diamonds & some weird scenes that make The House in Nightmare Park really quite an enjoyable watch. At 90 odd minutes it moves along at a decent pace & there's a decent double twist ending that is reasonable but maybe not as effective as it could have been, the final shot of Howerd planting his spade into the ground & the camera zooming out for literally miles is a nice way to end things. The horror ranges from killer Snakes & meat clever wielding bald women living in the attic (!) to fog swept moors where murder takes place, the comedy ranges from one-liners like 'Yoo-hoo! I'm here... the entertainment's arrived! I've played empty houses before, but blimey...' when walking into an empty house to 'It's a bit dry for my taste. I prefer it a bit... wetter' while drinking some wine to visual gags like Howerd not being able to get anything to eat while the murder mystery aspect is quite good with a fair few bodies although no-one is killed on screen. There's an amazingly weird & odd scene in which the Hendersen's dress up as puppets & perform a song & dance which is frankly bizarre & has to be seen to be believed.Almost impossible to find these days I don't think The House in Nightmare Park has ever been released on DVD & it hasn't been shown on television over here in the UK for over a decade. I'm not sure why really, the atmospheric house & sets coupled with the murder mystery plot & a name like Frankie Howerd surely makes this worth releasing on a digital format? Surprisingly well shot with some Hammer horror style atmospherics & Victorian era production design. The murders occur off-screen & there's no real blood or gore in it.The imposing house featured in The House in Nightmare Park was actually Oakley Court in Windsor in Berkshire which was used for all manner of films such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) & lots of Hammer horror films including Dracula (1958), The Brides of Dracula (1960), The Plague of the Zombies (1966) & The Reptile (1966). The cast is great, Frankie Howerd puts in a good performance full of sly sexual innuendos & funny faces while Ray Milland as the villain is also good.The House in Nightmare Park is a fun horror comedy murder mystery with a great atmosphere that works surprisingly well on many levels, while maybe not for all tastes I found it highly amusing & very watchable. Much better than expected, while not as out & out funny as Carry on Screaming (1966) it's creepier by far.
BaronBl00d Frankie Howard got few chances on film to showcase his comedic talents. Nightmare Park(AKA House of the Laughing Dead) is probably his best effort to do so on film. Like Benny Hill, only not quite as blatant, Howard is walking innuendo. We see through his eyes and speech an almost endless stream of one-liners, albeit rather tame by today's comparisons. Howard is funny in the main role of a third-rate entertainer who loves himself that has been invited to a mysterious mansion in the English countryside. The rest of the cast is comprised of the inhabitants of the house, a strange lot indeed with Ray Milland as the head of the family. The story is whimsical, and utterly absurd, but through the efforts of Howard, Milland, et all, and the fairly atmospheric direction of Peter Sykes, the film comes off quite well as a somewhat gothic comedy.