The Horror of It All

"The zaniest bunch of ghouls ever to haunt a house!"

Jan 13 1966 Approved 1h 15m
Comedy, Horror, Mystery

In this dark comedy, a Yankee goes to visit a family of British eccentrics to ask for the hand of one of their daughters in marriage. He soon finds himself in the midst of a really odd family. One of them talks like Bela Lugosi, another believes herself to be a vampire, while a third is locked away in a padded cell. Another family member is thrilled when he finally invents a horseless carriage (50 years after Ford), and the family grandfather is found reading Playboy just before he dies. Trouble begins when members of the family begin to be mysteriously murdered. The American suitor must then discover which member of the strange family is in line to inherit the family fortune.

Plot

American salesman Jack Robinson falls in love with Englishwoman Cynthia Marley and they visit her family so he can ask for permission to marry her. She points out to him that her relatives are rather eccentric and, by the way, a cousin has just died. The remaining members of the clan are; the sinister Reginal; Percival, an inventor who has recently discovered electricity, the phonograph, and several other handy items; Natalia, a macabre, vampire-like creature; Cornwallis, a hammy and dapper ex-actor; Grandfather, who lies bedridden upstairs; and, by the way, Muldoon, who is kept locked up in the fear that he will harm someone. Several attempts are made on his life which leads Jack to believe that the Marleys are a shade past eccentric. He becomes convinced that he is just in the way of one of the Marley's attempts to do away with the other Marleys, especially, during his investigation of the vanishing Marleys, when he learns that the family fortune consists of one million dollars and one of the Marleys intends to end up with all of it. He wants to contact the police but there is no phone or car on the premises.

Written by

Ray Russell

Directed by

Terence Fisher

Production Countries

United Kingdom

Production Companies

Lippert Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
445
Average Rating
4.8 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA