This is less a review of the movie, "The House That Vanished" as it is a response to the reviewer(s) who liked this movie. I was wondering what was the worst movie I ever paid to watch and without hesitation it was this movie. The only reason I saw it is that friends and I wanted to see an "R" movie before we turned 18. It was clear from the start that the writer and director had no regard for women, decency nor their audience. The original title, "Scream... and Die," pretty well sums up the plot as well as most of the direction for the film. The only reason I would give more than the one star this kind of anti-social material deserves is that I still remember two scenes vividly, so something must have been right. One was an endless slashing to death of a topless yet vapid woman-- not a happy memory-- and the other was when our heroine was in the cellar/attic and you get well and truly set up for a good scare. Give this pitiful effort a BIG pass and you'll be a happier movie-goer.

This is the fourth film of Joseph (the Anglicized version of Jose' Ramon) Larraz I'm watching and possibly the most conventional and least rewarding so far. For the record, the film shares its screenwriter Derek Ford (who later became an exploitation director himself) with a film I've also just watched for the first time during this Halloween challenge – Peter Sykes' VENOM (1971; see above).The heroine is a gorgeous blonde played by Andrea Allan: thankfully, 1970s British genre cinema was virtually a haven for such starlets, even if only a handful ever made it to the top (while the greater majority were hardly ever heard of again)! Like VAMPYRES (1974), nudity here is bountiful (in all senses of the word) including a surprisingly steamy encounter between the disturbed sculptor/murderer (Karl Lanchbury, who also appeared in Larraz's subsequent erotic vampire flick) and his mentor/aunt(!) – although the ever iconoclastic Luis Bunuel would go one better the following year in THE PHANTOM OF LIBERTY by showing a young man sleeping with his own grandmother!!Incidentally, it seemed silly to me to have the heroine here jumping straight into a romantic attachment with a complete – to say nothing of wimpish – stranger (who, conveniently, turns out to be the killer!) after having not just witnessed a cold-blooded murder but also having had her unreliable boyfriend disappear on her for good! The expected 'red herring' character is here supplied courtesy of Peter Forbes-Robertson's eccentric birdwatcher neighbor.Incidentally, the photographic models milieu is extremely typical of such European thriller fare – and the film's bland treatment of it certainly adds nothing new to the formula. Also quite inevitably, the film went through various title changes: the original one was SCREAM…AND DIE! but, apart from the one I watched it under which is listed above, it was further hyperbolically dubbed PSYCHO SEX FIEND.

Valerie and her boyfriend Terry witness a murder in an old abandoned house. They had heard the sound of a car arriving and they hid themselves. A couple had come in. They could only see the girl because He remained always in the shadow. She undressed herself and sat on his lap. Suddenly a switchblade flashes out. She's stabbed to death.Valerie in her panic rushes blindly out of the house. Outside she waits for Terry. He doesn't come. Then she hears footsteps. Again she runs and runs.... Somehow she manages to get home in the morning.In London Valerie goes back to her routine. She tries to contact Terry, be he's disappeared from sight. And worst of all, when Valerie looks out of her window she sees Terry's car parked in front of her house. The killer knows who she is and where she lives! When Valerie speaks with her friends about it, they advise her to not contact the police. After all Terry is a shady dealer, and she could get involved in a very nasty business. But what happened to Terry? Is he still alive? The killer is stalking her, and he will strike again...By the description, you could think that "Scream and Die" is a very suspenseful thriller. But you would be wrong."Scream and Die" (the title is misleading) should be seen by those that like a weird atmosphere: the thick fog that envelops the house when Terry and Valerie arrive there, Valerie's friends and neighbors, the early 70s mood, the subtle and effective soundtrack, and the bizarre! Most viewers will guess from the beginning who the killer is. But that's not really important. I enjoy "Scream and Die" because it's atmospheric and feels natural (characters and environment), but it is at the same time dreamy, and sometimes surreal. The beautiful and delicate Andrea Allan is Valerie. She is a joy to behold! If you like the films of Larraz this is another one to add to your collection

Ah, the house that vanished… This oddball (alternate) title alone was more than enough reason for me to purchase a copy of this obscure and relatively unknown horror flick. But unfortunately, and as the case with too many 70's horror efforts, the title is by far the most exciting aspect about the entire production. This is an unbelievably dull film, stuffed with all the annoying genre-clichés and predictable plot-twist you can possibly think of. During the opening sequences, we follow a young couple – a photo model and her petty thief lover – as they break into an isolated house during a foggy night. There they witness a murder and only the girl manages to escape into the woods surrounding the house. And, in case you wonder, the title is really accurate! When the girl – Valerie – wants to show some of her friends where the murder took place, she can't locate the house anymore! … Like it vanished into thin air! Anyway, life goes on and Valerie falls in love with a strangely introvert boy who has a peculiar affair with his aunt and classical music plays whenever he's on screen. The murderer hasn't forgotten about Valerie yet and all kind of sinister happenings lead her back to the murder-house. The plot sounds sensational on paper, and I'm convinced it could have been really great, but the elaboration is very poor and way too slow. The only things to admire during the tedious middle section of the film are main actress Andrea Allan's good looks and her smoking HOT body. Yes, I am aware this is a shallow remark to make, but her spontaneous stripteases truly are the only moments that hold your attention. Director José Ramón Larrez seems to realize this too, since the amount of sleaze and nudity gradually increases as the film reaches towards its climax. There's very little suspense and the few murder scenes are tame and as good as bloodless. The more than obvious denouement is almost like an insult to trained horror fans.