Sunday, May 26, 2013

This House Possessed


"This House Possessed" (1981) is a TV horror movie starring Parker Stevenson, Lisa Eilbacher, Joan Bennett. A possessed (or should we say possessive) house lures an 80s pop singer and his nurse to it and tries to keep everyone else away!




Gary Straihorn (Stevenson) is a pop rock singer who collapses onstage of exhaustion.  At the hospital during his recuperation he meets nurse Sheila Moore (Eilbacher) who he takes a liking to.  He convinces his agent (Slim Pickens) that he needs more time to rest and write some new songs so he hires Sheila as his private nurse and off they go in no direction in particular (or so they think).  Little do they know that an isolated and empty house in Rancho Santa Fe, CA is watching them through its security system and using some unknown supernatural powers.  



The couple ends up in Rancho Santa Fe, of course, and take a liking to it.  The real estate agent shows them the house just outside of town and they both fall in love with the giant modern looking home that keeps itself clean and has unbreakable windows.  Sheila feels like she knows the place but can't explain why.


Shortly after moving in, things start to get weird.  There's a garden hose that seems to come alive and chase off some trespassers.  There's a voice calling "Margaret" in the night.  And there's always the house watching them through the internal security system.   Gary and Sheila are enjoying the house and the isolation and are even starting to get romantic feelings toward each other.  


While in town, Sheila runs into the disheveled Rag Lady (Bennett) who calls her Margaret and keeps asking her why she came back.  She then gathers up her rag tag shopping cart full of bags and returns to her hoarder cabin.  Sheila goes to the library and tries to find out more about the house and the librarian promises to look into the house's history and the deaths she knows occurred there long ago. 


Later, Gary's friend (and sometimes more) Tanya stops by to stay and help in Gary's recovery.  Sheila is a bit jealous with this turn of events.  The house is too.  Needless to say, Tanya doesn't stay long after an incident of being trapped in a blood spurting shower!  Then there's the other visitors that house doesn't want, including the librarian who has some info on the house she's uncovered and who comes to a crushing and fiery end at the house's gate!


We later discover that Sheila's lost first seven years of her life before being sent to an orphanage were spent in this house and the house has always wanted her back.  It will also do everything within its power to keep her there. Will Sheila be able to break free from this haunted and possessive house?  Will she and Gary be able to enjoy life together?  Will we ever find out who or what exactly is haunting this house?



"This House Possessed" is one of my favorite made for TV movies.  It's creepy, not too graphic and a bit cheesy (especially Parker Stevenson's singing)!  The house itself is an amazing site - not the classic old haunted house at all! It's an enjoyable movie that may just remind you of those lazy Saturday afternoons sitting at home and catching a good horror movie on TV.  

3 comments:

  1. Thank you! I saw this as a kid and really liked it but could never recall the title.

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    1. It's always fun to see a movie again as an adult that you enjoyed as a child. Thanks for visiting the site!

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  2. Where can I buy this movie on dvd?

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