The House in Nightmare Park – 1973 | 100mins | Comedy, Horror | B&W

Plot Synopsis

A droll Old Dark House horror spoof in which camel-faced comedian Frankie Howerd is caught up with a family of greedy relatives out to steal a family fortune. Howerd’s relatives are divertingly played by Ray Milland, Hugh Burden, Rosalie Crutchley and Kenneth Griffith. This unimaginative gothic farce acts as a vehicle for Howerd to showcase his unique brand of innuendo-ridden humour but fails to produce either chuckles and chills.

Foster Twelvetrees (Frankie Howerd) is a Victorian monologist who accepts an invitation to give a reading from the classics at the isolated stately home of the Henderson family. Unbeknown to Foster, he is the heir to the massive Henderson family fortune – but he’s likely to be murdered by his insane relatives before getting his hands on it. The family members, ex-vaudevillians all, who at one point relive their truly bizarre stage act, are led by stern patriarch Stewart Henderson (Ray Milland), whose equally-avaricious offspring will go to any lengths to bump off the hapless thespian. The spooky manor house also contains a nest of venomous snakes in the basement and a bald, cleaver-wielding granny in the attic.