Within the context of 1970s made for TV horror (a category unto itself among horror fans), The House That Would Not Die has never attained the status of "classic," as have Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (a classic among horror movies as a whole, whether TV or theatrical) and The Night Stalker; nor the cult following of Gargoyles (1972); nor even the minimal honor of a DVD release, as bestowed upon of one of the lesser-known 70s TV supernatural thrillers, Horror At 30,000 Feet (a comparably good, overlooked TB horror in its own right). Nonetheless, House That Would Not Die is a decent little TV ghost story which happened to air before any of the aforementioned. It does not pretend to have a complex plot, and the story is anything but original. That's not the point, though. The movies goes for a comfortable, familiar kind of supernatural suspense and achieves it. The actors are solid and earnest, all of them taking their tasks seriously, and the production design includes liberal use of ghost- induced wind effects, all of which elevates the simple story. But because it is not as compelling as the other movies noted above, nor the 1981 made for TV classic, The Dark Night Of The Scarecrow, which perhaps marked the end of the cycle of greats TV horrors of the decade prior, House That Would Not Die usually goes unmentioned even among fans of that period. You can find House That Would Not Die streaming online, or as of 2015, included in DVD multi-paks of otherwise sub-par horror movies sold on Amazon.

I find it amusing that the summary says this film is, "A tale of witchcraft, black magic and a haunted house in the Amish country." What movie was the person who wrote that watching, as they most assuredly were not watching this one! I got this film in a collection with 20 other horror films. There are horror films such as Hellraiser III, The Prophecy II, Halloween 6 and a host of other direct to DVD horror films. I was quite surprised when I started playing this film and it looked really old. Then I saw it was from 1970 and it had the look of a made for television film. That did make me think this film would be bad, I remember a couple of made for television films from this era that were pretty decent like, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" and one where this girl marries a rock singer and they move into a house that literally wants the girl to stay there forever. This one was not in their caliber. If I can compare this film to another horror film of this era, I would compare it to "A Name for Evil" in that both were light on scares and simply bored me to near death.The story has an aunt and niece coming to a nice house out in the country that is never described as Amish country like that summary states. They immediately fall for the house, but something strange happens when a neighbor, who immediately has a thing for the aunt, meets the niece. Something is up in this house, and it becomes abundantly clear when a séance is held at the house. The niece seems possessed, but something seems to be happening to the neighbor as well. Will they solve the mystery before tragedy ensues?The film's main problem is pacing. It feels like it is going on forever, but the run time of the film is a mere 74 minutes. I kept checking my player to see how close I was to finishing the film as it just seemed to go on and on. I cannot fathom how this one has a score of 5.9 here as I was close to simply turning off the film. However, I forced myself to endure as I kept telling myself "It's only 74 minutes!" The plot is dull, as I stated, when it first came on I am thinking it is going to be like, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" as I hear ghostly whispers and maybe a combination as it would also be like that "Burnt Offerings". Those two films, though neither perfect, were enjoyable enough. This one though is more like, "A Name for Evil" as there is just a lot of nothing going on and a lot of wind machines being used!This is the first film of the collection I have seen; hopefully, the other films will be a bit more interesting to watch than this one was. There may be one or two more television films on the collection, but as I've stated, there have been good horror films that have been made for television. This one just did not work for me...at all. My favorite part of the film was the credits as it finally meant I had endured the longest 74 minutes of my life!

As any fan of classic film and cheeseball TV knows, Barbara Stanwyck was one durable dame. The woman who conquered the corporate world in 1933's "Baby Face" and blasted gun-toting outlaws on "The Big Valley" is more than a match for the wind machines and bad actors who challenge her in this cheapo 1970 made-for, which is why it's ultimately not that scary or suspenseful. It's also hampered by a cobwebbed ghost story plot -- a maiden aunt and her dewy young niece move into an old house only to learn (oh no!) that it's haunted. Still, it's always fun to hang out with Babs, so "The House that Wouldn't Die" isn't a complete waste of time. It's like decaffeinated coffee, a short, mild indulgence that won't keep you awake at night.Miss Stanwyck plays Ruth, a career Washington bureaucrat who takes a sabbatical (Civil Service rules must have been a lot more relaxed during the Nixon administration) and moves to a late distant relative's house near where her fluttery niece Sarah, played by Kitty Wynn, plans to attend college. If Stanwyck is above this sort of downmarket Gothic, Wynn is perfect for it since she seems born to play wide-eyed, helpless young ingénues -- the only time her voice rises above a quivering whisper is when she screams, which she does enough to wake the dead. The dead, however, don't seem to appreciate the intrusion so they start possessing various characters and making them act homicidal. Having apparently exhausted the budget on Babs' salary and nifty wardrobe (the cranberry pantsuit she dons toward the end of the flick is particularly chic), the producers could only afford a single special effect -- a megawatt wind machine which gets switched onto high every time one of the undead makes an appearance. This motif is a bit too indicative, but it's also the only way you'll know that Richard Egan, who plays Babs' romantic interest, has transformed from gentlemanly anthropology professor next door to malevolent spirit. His facial expression doesn't change otherwise. Rounding out this intrepid quartet is someone named Michael Anderson Jr. as Professor Egan's swishy grad student and Kitty's chaste love interest. The movie could be unwatchably dull but isn't, thanks to Babs' stalwart presence. However, it could be atmospherically creepy but isn't, thanks to Egan's granite stiffness and a script that sounds like it was penned by the "Scooby Doo" staff during a prime time writers' strike ("try and open up this old writing desk . . . these things are usually crammed with old letters and papers" declares Babs, perhaps unaware that she's channeling Velma Dinkley). Still, Miss Barbara Stanwyck offers a primer on how to maintain your dignity during the twilight of your career. Someone should have forced Bette Davis to watch this movie.

Recently I had the good fortune of coming across an old ABC movie of the week called "The House that would not Die", starring the always talented Barbara Stanwyck. In the movie, Ms. Stanwyck and her niece buy an old, charming house in the country, thinking that they have found their dream home. However,as is always the case in these films, strange things begin to happen, such as disembodied voices, bizarre wind gusts that seemly appear out of no where, and Stanwyck's niece, Sara, begins acting as if someone or something has taken her over. The result is a well done ghost film that relies on creating a spooky atmosphere rather than any gore or violence. Such a shame that television does not have more movies like these anymore. God, how I miss the age of the miniseries. If you get a chance, check this out on you tube. We won't be disappointed. 9 out of 10.