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.
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Coventry26 January 2012
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cchase13 January 2006Ahh, yes! Another fabulous slice of Aaron Spelling-produced fromage, wrapped in the best smoked hams of the day! Spelling ruled the roost in prime time back in the mid-to-late Sixties, and all through the Seventies and beyond; cranking these puppies out with loving care and unearthing budding talent, as he provided work to some of the most revered (if not creakiest) vets of stage and screen. (His other classics, like CROWHAVEN FARM, THE HOUSE THAT WOULD NOT DIE, LOVE HATE LOVE, THE OLD MAN WHO CRIED "WOLF!" and THE LOVE WAR are all absolute must-sees for lovers of Sixties/Seventies TV kitsch.)
This particular outing looks like an early dress rehearsal for FANTASY ISLAND, as a bunch of rich swells gathers at a beautiful and secluded resort, (and is there any other kind?). As they explore their surroundings, discovering more and more about each other and their mysterious hosts, it all leads to the now-inescapable "shattering" conclusion.
If you've already seen THE SIXTH SENSE or THE VILLAGE, the 'secret' won't surprise you one little bit. Even when HAUNTS was first aired, it wasn't THAT much of a shocker (Hello? Had anybody NOT heard of Rod Serling back then???)
But it's not about how good or bad the movie is, (and it ain't great.) It just about kicking back and letting all the nostalgic, Velveeta goodness wash over you...and not telling your friends you did afterward! -
Uriah431 July 2014Inside a luxury airplane six (presumably rich) people are heading for a wonderful vacation spot which they only know as "The Portals of Eden". They have no idea where it is located and the travel agency has gone to great lengths to keep it a secret. Also on the airplane is a man by the name of "Al Hunsicker" (Edward Asner) who has mistakenly boarded the flight and wants to get to Dallas for an important business meeting. Unfortunately, the flight lands in a very remote part of the world and he has no choice but to wait until the next morning. Yet even though the hotel is quite luxurious there is something strange about it and the guests soon realize that there is more to this place than meets the eye. Anyway, rather than give out any more details and risk spoiling the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that, considering the limitations placed on a made-for-television movie, this particular one was surprisingly entertaining. Likewise, although I would have preferred to see a bit more of Donna Mills (as "Laurie Dugan") and Ann Francis ("Annette Larrier") I thought both Lloyd Bridges ("Dave Woodrough") and the aforementioned Edward Asner performed quite well in their respective roles. All things considered I rate the film as slightly above average.
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azathothpwiggins3 September 2018HAUNTS 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... -
ubik-118 November 2002Why doesn't TV make movies out of cool ideas anymore? There were a bunch of them made in the early '70s - "Haunts of the Very Rich", "Kolchak: The Night Stalker", and "The Love War", to name a few. I saw these as a youngster and they made a big impression on me. Thanks to the magic of video and the internet, I can watch them again.
SPOILERS FOLLOW!
"Haunts" starts out with a great idea - they're dead and they don't know it. Perhaps my early viewing of this movie is what later drew me to films like "The Matrix" and "Dark City", both of which execute a similar theme with greater force.
It's funny how memory works. The most vivid image I had of this film is the scene where they find the dead fish floating in the water. Yet when I watched it again this week for the first time in 30 years, there were far fewer fish than I remembered and the scene was only on-screen for a split second. But that's the scene that led me to rediscover the title, thanks to the IMDB Message Board's "I Need To Know" section.
My only complaint is that the ending seems more comical than scary to me now. If I were to remake this movie, I might rearrange things to make Robert Reed's return from the peyote ceremony the end. His vision of ultimate nothingness is far scarier to me than Lloyd Bridge's eternity with his codependent wife. Watching him and Cloris Leachman run off into the solarized jungle for a full minute or more did not achieve the affect in me that the writer probably wanted. It almost seems like an attempt at a Twilight Zone twist. After the revelation of their true status, another twist wasn't needed. -
ian10008 January 2008Spoilers ALERT ==============
Perhaps I am not qualified to comment on a movie (or TV movie to be accurate) that I have not seen for about 34 years - I was quite young at the time.
Here's what I remember:-
A group of people on a plane with blacked out windows. The arrive on a desert island. They talk, and cannot remember how they got here, yet all seem to have had a near death experience. They speculate that they may be dead. A priest amongst them does not think so. Then a small aircraft lands on the island. The pilot says not to worry he'll bring help or something. The plane leaves. The people are happy at imminent rescue. One woman is not happy - she's recognised the pilot, and she heard that he was killed recently. They are it seems dead! I seem to recall Lloyd Bridges wife turns up.
Anyway I'd love to see it again - it gave me bad dreams. -
myriamlenys29 July 2020A group of wealthy people travel to a mystery destination. Upon arrival, they discover a splendid luxury hotel and an army of helpful servants. It all looks like the ideal environment for a few weeks of fun, relaxation and discovery. However, after a severe tropical storm things go south at an alarming rate...
"Haunts" is a television movie ; consequently it needs to be (re)viewed and appreciated according to television movie standards. It tells a striking horror story about the kind of "hotel" where arriving is easy and leaving is very, very difficult. (A very apt title, by the way.) The ending is memorable and there are several occasions when the movie successfully evokes a mood of sadness and dread.
The movie contains various themes, one of which is a condemnation of the callously utilitarian way in which the rich treat the non-rich. For instance, there's a chilling little episode, post-tropical storm, where one of the female servants suddenly keels over dead, presumably as a result of having eaten tainted food. Some of the hotel guests carry the corpse to an isolated room and that's it - there's no attempt at organizing a religious ceremony, no attempt at preparing a funeral or wake, no attempt at saying a few kind words. Nobody bothers to make, say, a little posy of flowers or a funeral crown of leaves, in the same way that nobody bothers to arrange the body in a suitable pose ; the corpse simply gets stored until further disposal, the way one would store a torn wind screen or a faded curtain.
When it comes to the callous indifference of the rich, things certainly haven't improved since the early 1970's... -
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.
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susanleslie21 June 2011I liked this film very much. However I take issue with the credit 'Story by T.K. Brown.' This is NOT an original story; it was lifted from the play 'Outward Bound' by Sutton Vane.
Having given credit where it is due, the premise is very simple: Seven (7) vacationers are on an airplane bound for a mysterious resort called 'The Portals of Eden'. A newlywed couple, a married woman in recovery from a nervous condition; a Clergyman experiencing a crisis of faith; a businessman on the wrong plane; a single, insecure woman; A lusty man traveling alone whose marital status is in question. They are all about to experience the vacation of a lifetime...
Viewing this film 40 years later, I am sentimental because I love the entire cast: they are immortalized in their prime and I thought they all did a terrific job. Robert Reed is the stand out for me; his character, the Reverend Fellows, is mostly in the background until the last 20 minutes or so. It is Mr. Bridges's, Ms. Leachman's and Mr. Asner's characters who move the story forward throughout most of the film with the participation of Ms. Francis's, Ms. Mills's and Mr. Bill's characters who are all followers.
Mr. Reed then takes the helm and his character provides a most powerful and moving soliloquy vital to the plot to help the story towards closure.
I found this movie a bit 'Haunting' as the title suggests; it does what a good movie should do, it stays with you after it is over. I give this a 9 out of 10. -
Bloodwank30 April 2012Another well honed TV horror production here, in fact possibly my favorite so far of my present quest. Haunts of the Very Rich is one of those films that rather defies reviewers, the climax is all important yet a cliché set in stone even in its own era, to comment on how the film becomes truly effective would spoil it for those who didn't already figure it out, and to say much about the hints and murmurs of chill that come before would spoil those little details for those who guessed what was going on from the outset but still aimed to be surprised by the films smaller mechanisms. Most of the reviews here make the film somewhat to obvious, so I will simply say that the plot sees seven strangers journey to a luxury resort, wherein the luxury soon becomes something else entirely. The film thrives on character and precisely measured tension, taking some two thirds of its runtime to move up through the gears before the final surge. The writing is often melodramatic, but the cast sells it very well, Lloyd Bridges touching as a lothario with an actual heart, slick superficiality slipping away in likable fashion, Cloris Leachman falls in convincing love, Anne Francis pulls off powerful dejected pathos, Edward Asner brings class to what could have been a bland cliché and Moses Gunn hits the right mellow yet subtly devious notes as the resort host. Now all this class goes a good distance towards keeping the film a solid watch, but it has to be said that things really don't get too noteworthy until the 50 minute mark or so. There are creepy vibes but only one or two jolts, things really are pretty subdued and get going just in time to stave off tedium. However when it all does come together the film becomes a rather terrific affair, genuinely chilling and surprisingly emotional, an ideal reward for what has come before. So all in all this one may not be perfect but as far as its kind go its pretty darned spiffing, essential viewing for TV horror fans and just plain pulp enthusiasts (for the classic story and unexpected touches). So a solid 7/10 from me, but will obviously not be to all tastes.
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Rainey-Dawn22 January 2017Any review you read stating this film is has a strong Fantasy Island flair is true. The movie really does feel like a long episode of the famous and beloved TV Show.
"Haunts" is a loose remake of the film Outward Bound (1930) which was remade into a better film entitled Between Two Worlds (1944). The movie is not a rip off of Fantasy Island but a loose remake of earlier films.
Everyone in the movie is just fine, but I liked Edward Asner's character the best. He was *almost* a comic relief type of character that tickled me at times.
It's not an awful movie at all, but it's not all that great either... somewhere in the middle for me.
4/10 -
garrard24 June 2006Prolific 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. -
BandSAboutMovies5 April 20181972. TV movies. Celebrities. The occult. Oh man, when I add up all the elements of the stew that makes up Haunts of the Very Rich and the broth tastes succulent!
Director by Paul Wendkos, who also was behind the supernaturally tinged The Brotherhood of the Bell, Good Against Evil and The Mephisto Waltz, not to mention the 1985 remake of The Bad Seed, the legendary 1975 TV movie The Legend of Lizzie Borden and the Gidget film series (whew!), this is a tasty slab of cathode ray goodness.
Predating Lost by 32 years, the film begins on an airplane where we learn that our cast of characters has all been lured to the Portals of Eden tropical resort for many different reasons. When they arrive, their host Seacrist (Moses Gunn, Detective Turner in Amityville II: The Possession) helps them enjoy paradise. A snake might show up, of course, but no one should be all that worried.
However, a storm breaks out that night and the staff goes away, the food goes bad and the mood goes sour. David and Ellen (Llyod Bridges and Cloris Leachman) think everyone is already dead and in hell. Al (Ed Asner) refuses to believe in anything. Annette (Anne Francis) goes from manic state to manic state before trying to kill herself. Lyle and Laurie (Tony Bill and Donna Mills) just stay in the background. And the priest (Robert Reed)? He abandons everyone for a peyote ceremony with a tribe of natives that bury birth defected children alive.
Originally airing on September 20, 1972, this film is very much of its time. It was shot on the grounds of the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, which was the winter home of International Harvester vice president James Deering. You can also see this house in the films Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Airport '77 and Iron Man 3.
If you enjoyed Fantasy Island but always wondered, "What if this show messed with people instead of rewarded them?" then this is the movie for you. The double rug pull at the end surprised even me. And the acting is great. You know how you always heard how trapped Robert Reed felt on The Brady Bunch and how he yearned to be a real actor? Watch his final speech in this film and you'll realize that he was probably right. -
planktonrules26 October 2016Back in 1930, there was a film called "Outward Bound" which took a strange view of the afterlife as a group of folks board a ship. It was an okay movie, at best, but was later remade into the terrific film "Between Two Worlds". Now in this 1970s made for TV movie, they took the basic idea of both previous films and added elements of "Fantasy Island" and, perhaps, "Gilligan's Island"! The result is a mess of a film which doesn't at all do justice to the original and first remake...and it's also a bit annoying to boot.
When the film begins, a group of folks are aboard an airplane which is odd, as it has no windows. They aren't exactly sure where they are bound nor why they are there. Most take it in stride, the grouchy businessman (Ed Asner) constantly complains and blusters. When they arrive, they are greeted by a Mr. Rourke-type guy (Moses Gunn) who welcomes them to what looks like a paradise-like hotel on a deserted island. However, over time, things break, they run low on supplies and they are obviously stranded...yet the host constantly assures them everything is just fine...which it obviously isn't! Why are they there and what is this weird place?!
The bottom line is that this film is less a remake and more a terribly written reworking of the old movies. The result isn't at all satisfying and you realize just how bad it is after you have seen "Between Two Worlds"...which is a classic and this made for TV film is simply slapped together, stupid and sports a dopey ending. -
Wizard-825 November 2011This made-for-TV movie has several things going for it. The acting is well done, no surprise there because of the professional cast, with Robert Reed being the standout due to one striking monologue he has. The locations are atmospheric and do give the impression of being far from civilization. Also, there are no boring bits.
However, as good as the movie is, there are a couple of problems that hold it back from true greatness. The first problem is with its length. Even though the movie runs a little less than 75 minutes long, the movie feels somewhat stretched out. Maybe this would have played better had it been produced as a one hour television episode of "The Twilight Zone". The second problem is that the "mystery" is no mystery - I guessed what the twist would be in the opening minutes! In fairness, the movie does trick the audience just before the end into thinking there's some other explanation.
While I wouldn't quite say that this is worth seeking out, if you come across it when you have some time to spend, you'll probably be entertained enough. -
garyldibert8 January 2014TITLE: HAUNTS OF THE VERY RICH was a made for TV Movie that aired on September 20 1972 that took 75 minutes to watch. The Movie Starred Lloyd Bridges as David Woodrough, Cloris Leachman as Ellen Blunt, Edward Asner as Al Hun sicker and a Very young pretty Donna Mills as Laurie Dugan.
SUMMARY: The movie opens with 7 people on a jet airplane headed to island resort. A group of people, all of whom, we can only assume, are very rich, are on a plane flying together. Everyone is having a good time except Al Hunsicker who has been sleeping. When Al wakes up he ask the stewardess when they were going to land in Dallas and she tells him that he's on his way to this island resort. He tells to turn this jet around and she explains to him that they can't. When they land, a mysterious black man (Seacrist) greets them, and the plot thickens. Ellen Blunt gets a makeover from a mysterious black woman all the mysterious characters in this film are either black or "native" in a scene laden with homo erotic undertones, and Dave Woodrough falls in love with her. We come to find out that John Fellows is a minister tormented by his own conflicted spirituality; Annette Larrier is an unhappy housewife strung out on prescription uppers and downers; and Al Hunsicker has a very, very hairy back. Laurie Dugan is there with her husband as they are on their honeymoon. During the first night at the resort. The island is ravage by a hurricane. It knocks out all the power on the island but they still have food and drinks. The next morning they tourist find out that the staff has left the resort and went back to their tribes. Seacrist states he's going to get help and that it will take about four days. The next morning the guest discovers that all there food is missing and now there down to can goods.
QUESTIONS: What was the name of this resort? Why did each guest get a different brochure describing the resort? Why was Al Hunsicker trying to get to Dallas? What was the guest so worried about? Why did the staff go back to their tribes? Did Seacrist ever return with help?
MY THOUGHTS: I guess I just ran into some bad luck when it came to reviewing movies because this one was no better than the previously one I reviewed call No Place To Run. This movie was neither an action nor drama it was more science fiction then anything. I don't like science fiction because there a waste of time. This movie had no real action, drama, and it didn't make any real sense. The reason I bought this movie was Donna Mills and just like Stefanie Powers in No Place to Run, Mills talent in this movie was wasted. You would figure that a young Donna Mills on an island resort would be in a bathing suit and that didn't happen. Big Disappointment! If I could give this movie a zero, I would but I can't so I'm giving this movie 1 weasel star -
quincymd23 February 2008A 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.
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Wuchakk10 March 2022Seven wealthy people are flown to a remote-but-swanky tourist center, evidently somewhere in the tropics of Latin America. As the cultured host (Moses Gunn) entertains them and they get to know each other, they have to deal with the results of a storm while reflecting on the curiosities of the situation. The seven are played by Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Edward Asner, Anne Francis, Tony Bill, Donna Mills and Robert Reed.
The premise of "Haunts of the Very Rich" (1972) hails back to "Outward Bound" (1930), which was remade as "Between Two Worlds" (1944). It has similarities to Fantasy Island, which wouldn't debut for five more years, mixed with The Twilight Zone.
The resort manor locations are fabulous, reminiscent of "Frogs," released six months earlier. The cast is of note and the drama is decent, but it's a decidedly low-key experience where Tony Bill & Donna Mills are relocated to peripheral status.
While this is a television production, it's technically well done.
The movie runs 1 hour, 15 minutes, and was shot in Miami, Florida, particularly Villa Vizcaya Museum & Gardens in Biscayne Bay (the resort in the movie). Stock footage was obviously used for the brief scene with a mountain in the background.
GRADE: C+/B- (5.5/10) -
thebigrabbit3330 September 2005For a TV movie, this was pretty darn spooky. Reminded me of The Haunting of Hill House -- the 60s original, in terms of dread, not style. To be able to infuse a modern setting with hopeless fear is a real accomplishment. It was the first time I saw Ed Asner in a role I liked, he's grim and believable, as he was much later in Rich Man, Poor Man.
This movie is on a TV-type level of seriousness, not what is carried off in main cinema. Lloyd Bridges, for instance, is a TV show type of guy, and he's playing a major role. But his part and Chloris Leachman's are very pleasing. It is because the story is good enough to conjure up dread, and the characters are likable that I remember this movie years later; I wish I could see it again. -
mark.waltz20 October 2021Sone subtlety would have been nice in the misfire that you get here. With that story cast, it's a sad statement that this film made for the TV movie of the week is far too over the top and obnoxious to be even barely tolerable, a lose retelling of the theatrical chestnut "Outward Bound". Ed Asner, so spunky as Lou Grant, is demanding and unlike able, bellowing all his lines as a wealthy businessman who thinks he's on his way to Denver when they arrive. Politician Lloyd Bridges is a bit more likeable, but he's also doomed to spend eternity in this hellish but beautiful paradise that is a nightmare no matter how appealing it looks at the start. Cloris Leachman is the woman he falls in love with, aghast that he's married, but determined to be with him regardless.
Robert Reed as a cynical priest, Anne Francis as a worried mother and Tony Bill and Donna Mills as an unhappily married young couple round out the cast of this depressing and tedious melodrama where Moses Gunn greets them, offering them little explanation of why they are there yet continuously shattering their dreams. The further this goes on the more tedious it becomes, and the thought of a weekly series based on this is as nightmarish as the film itself. While the actors go through their paces, they are defeated by a wretched, hopeless script that will make you feel as despondent as the characters. -
hifijohn8 August 2011I remember seeing this when I was very young and again a few days ago because someone posted it on Youtube.This is a pretty poor movie made to appeal to the mass TV audience.The basic premise is good but this movie goes out of its way not to be clever or ironic.This first problem I have is the title. Do any of these people look very rich?And why were these people sent here? Have they really done some evil thing? I can see if they were a bunch of murders, but they seem like ordinary people who's only crime is over acting.Moses Gunn is great as the innkeeper and Robert Reed is very good too ,in fact he may be one of the most underrated TV actors around.But Ed Asner is just doing his Lou-grant-yelling-at-Ted-Baxter bit and Cloris Leachman is just too silly.The movie misses too many opportunities to be clever, how about a bunch of lit 'no exit' signs how about calling the innkeeper Mr 'Hell'man or Mr Devlin? instead of Mr. Seacrest. Come on now, lets try for a little imagination.The movie is also pretty murky and at times almost out of focus.Its also far too long ,this was made at a time when people had more patience and no remote controls.(SPOILER ALERT)The movie goes on and on and on and we finally get the point were they realize they might be dead.One guest had only packed a silver dress and shoes-something you bury a corpse in.Robert Reed had a few things you take to the beach because he drown there,the young couple were the only ones that packed because they were the only ones going to the airport when their car hit a tree and so on.I will put up with many things as long as the ending ties everything together and this movie has absolutely no ending, they just ran out of ideas and tacked on a silly slow-mo scene with Lloyd bridges and Cloris Leachman, the music is also silly. The should have used creepy music instead it sounds like something you hear in a doctors waiting room.Watch only for nostalgic reasons.
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edeighton4 November 2023My review of Haunts of the Very Rich (1972)
The opening scene introduces seven people on a plane on their way to a super secret and expensive resort: the Portals of Eden. The guests are: a focused businessman (Ed Asner); a sex crazed politician (Lloyd Bridges); an attractive older woman (Cloris Leachman); newlyweds (Donna Mills and Tony Bill); a priest interested in researching savages (Robert Reed); and an over anxious housewife (Anne Francis). When the plane lands they are greeted by their host Mr. Seacrist (a black man dressed in an all white suit). This movie predates Fantasy Island, but it sure seems similar to it.
Things seem great on the resort at first, but after a vicious storm the hired help abandons the guests, dead fish are washed up on the shore and their food supply and fresh water run dangerously low. As the likelihood of rescue begins to become unlikely, some in the the group question whether they're all dead and whether the resort is actually a form of the afterlife. The trope of "they are actually the ghosts" is now familiar to audiences after modern movies like The Sixth Sense and The Others, but was likely a shocking plot twist in 1972.
This theme would be explored more thoroughly in the later hit series Lost, but for a short hour and fifteen minute television-movie, Haunts of the Very Rich does not disappoint. I liked the slow building tension and unease that this movie develops. I liked the religious themes and concept that we create our own unique hell. Robert Reed was a better actor than his signature role as Mr. Brady allowed him to display. Reed's despair and silent resignation helped drive home the point that these people were in for a specific hell designed for each of them individually. Ed Asner's performance ramped up the feeling of anxiety as it becomes more and more apparent that these people can't escape and can't communicate with the rest of the world. -
NutzieFagin3 November 2008the old ABC channel 7 network used to have on Friday nites some produced scare flicks. I used to call this one "Haunts of the very Clueless" because here we have 7 people going on vacation--some have no luggage with them. How in the hell would you go on vacation and NOT bring your camera or a bag! They also receive pamplets and go to a place where they don't know where it is? Quite charming idea but a little too dangerous for me!
However, the creep factor is very prevalent, the cast and acting are not bad, in fact better than some TV Movie, which this was a made for TV. This movie always gave me anxiety attacks--before you go on vacation somewhere, there is alwaya a worry nothing disastrous will befall you. Eventually, It leads up to a weird climax. I don't know which freaked me out the most-
SPOILER Robert Reed's haunting speech about a living death or "the true hell. life without dreams"
SPOILER--Why were these people punished in a hellish world? My guess is the each could be a representive of a Deadly Sin Dave-Pride Ellen-Vanity Annette-Gluttony Mr Huntsicker-Avarice The Dugans-Lust/ Anger Revend Fellows-Sloth
Just a thought... -
Delrvich1 September 2020Had me going with it's plot, sub-plot, dialogue, red herrings, and twist ending, Highly recommend.
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x-452138 July 2018I can't decide which is creepier. Story or movie. Had to get the magazine from eBay recently just to read it again.
The movie is pretty faithful to the original.