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.
Review of Haunts of the Very Rich
