We were stuck for something to watch last night and we chose this 'hilarious comedy' to pass a couple of hours. We usually delight in watching bad films, but this one took us to our limits really. Frankie Howerd can be very funny left to his own devices, but here he is stuck with a script with weak jokes and a very thin story. Ray Milland has never been our cup of tea, but here he puts on a good show, seemingly resigned to the fact that his career was over anyway. Several notches less entertaining than 'Up Pompei!', it ground its way through our evening and we were quite relieved when it finished.

Frankie Howerd had a successful but oddly variable career. A big name comedian/comedic actor from the '50's to the '70s then a decline. His career though ended on a triumphal high as a national treasure in the 1990s when a new and discerning audience showed their appreciation for his unique comic talents, the last in a line which extended back to the high traditions of the Victorian Music Hall. For those who appreciate Frankie Howard, this film was never equalled. Somehow the script, the direction and the other players combined to give him the best of platforms for his talents. And even the respected supporting players, playing their typical roles, were at their very best: Hugh Burden the blustering ex-soldier, Rosalie Crutchley of the dark, forbidding look (I received a warmer version once) even John Bennett. All were at the top of their games and allowed space to individually shine.The presence of a real Hollywood star is often a bolt-on affair, done to get entry into the American market, the rest of the cast crushingly obligated to flatter the star's ego. Here though the great Ray Milland positions himself almost as a supporting player, amused, tongue-in-cheek, observing others fully blossom. The final blessing was a script which had Frankie Howerd as a rather hammy actor who made a living out of Dickens readings. It gave him the perfect platform for his considerable talents.I had never seen the film before, seemingly its only airing on the most obscure of British satellite channels. But these channels have become the only place where excellent British films that would otherwise disappear without trace, their very existence unsuspected, can be seen. Our self-regarding public service broadcasters for some reason serve up a mixture of 30% Westerns, 20% war films, 20% endlessly repeated famous old British classics and modern British clone violent heist films - all in continuous loop. Wit, charm and talent are rare. The best of British post '60s even to as recent as 2011 meanwhile is reduced to appearing on obscure channels looking to fill their schedules as cheaply but as interestingly as possible. It is as if the best of British film have been condemned only to be found in the manner of remaindered books in a high street bargain book shop. By an odd coincidence where some of the best books are to found.

First off this is the only review I've ever posted for a film, so that must say something about how strongly I feel for this one in particular, it really is a good film and I assure you is most enjoyable, you will not regret watching it.Secondly I would like to Pooh-Pooh The_Void from Beverley Hills, England's review (see above or below or wherever it is located) what utter tosh! this film is remarkable, a great cast, great atmosphere, engaging story of horror and in-family skulduggery, I don't know what film you were watching mate but to be honest you say that the jokes fell flat and blah, blah, blah but you then put your very own handle as "The_Void from Beverley Hills, England" is that supposed to be some sort of "funny" joke? Well, if that's the extent of your humour, no wonder you didn't enjoy this flick.This is a very rare film and if you get the chance to catch it I'd seriously recommend it.

Well...despite the fact that many people find this film funny, I really can't say it did much at all for me. I found The House in Nightmare Park to be derivative, unimaginative and really rather boring - Frankie Howerd in the lead role didn't do much for me either. Horror films (and horror comedies) about a family/bunch of people in an old house always seem to revolve around a hidden fortune, and this film is no different, which is a shame. The film is directed by Peter Sykes, who also directed two of the lesser Hammer films in To The Devil a Daughter and Demons of the Mind, and while this film is actually slightly better than those two; it didn't do anything to improve my opinion of the man at the helm. The plot focuses on Foster Twelvetrees, an actor who is hired by the mysterious and sinister Henderson family to perform at the house. It soon transpires that somewhere on the property is buried treasure, and naturally everyone in the house wants to find it - and they're happy to do that, even if it does mean bumping off the others in the process.The film is meant to be a horror comedy, although it doesn't provide a balance between the two - rather, it's a comedy with some atmosphere and a creaky old house thrown in. Frankie Howerd is a popular comedian for a reason, but all the same; his style of humour doesn't appeal to me much. There's nothing particularly wrong with his performance in this film; he leads it well and keeps things mostly interesting. There aren't a great deal of standout moments in the film and a lot of the jokes aren't funny. The plot moves well, but it's always obvious where it's going, especially for me since I've seen this sort of thing many times before. Ray Milland pops up in a supporting role and gives the film a bit of much needed class. The locations aren't bad and the country house itself is a foreboding presence. The ending doesn't come as much of a surprise, although the build up to it is the best part of the film. The House in Nightmare Park has its fans, but as I've made quite clear - I'm not one of them!