Death at Love House (1976)

"Joel Gregory" (Robert Wagner) and his wife "Donna" (Kate Jackson) are writing a book on a former movie star by the name of "Lorna Love" (Marianna Hill) who captivated audiences with her sex appeal before dying in the prime of her life. To help them with this project they are given permission to stay in Lorna's former mansion to collect more information pertaining to their research. What they soon discover is that Lorna spent a great deal of money to hire a specialist in the occult who could give her immortality along with her lover--who just happens to have been the father of Joel. Soon mysterious things begin to happen to both Joel and Donna which not only threatens their marriage but also their sanity and their lives. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a fairly entertaining mystery film which was greatly limited by the made-for-television format. Additionally, while it had some suspense here and there, it seemed somewhat subdued in nature as well. All in all though, I suppose it was an okay movie and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

This movie, made for TV was very well cast, with excellent players, including Robert Wagner, Kate Jackson, John Carradine, Bill Macy, Joan Blondell, and others.The screen writing was WEAK and failed to provide believable scenarios. EG: A serious, nearly successful attempt to murder Kate Jackson's character happened with no-one calling the Police, no questions asked, when there were ONLY three people in the mansion at the time - implausible at the least! Transitions and segues were too abrupt, or in some instances, totally inadequate, especially the denouement/climax of the storyline, at the very end of the movie's 74-minute duration. As one reviewer noted, costuming and make-up left a Hell of a lot to be desired, in the flashback shots, which presumably were meant to take us back to the late 1920's. Our Silent-Era Hollywood Star was dressed and groomed more in keeping with the styles of 40-50 years LATER than when the scenes were supposed to be taking place. Someone really dropped the ball on their historical research, which should have been as easy as pie. Instead of modeling Lorna Love closely after Clara Bow or Jean Harlow, in this production, she more closely resembled Madonna.It was almost too painful to watch, as this cast was made up of some of my favorite actors and actresses. Spelling and Goldberg should have been sued for wasting a golden opportunity to have produced a classic horror film.I rate Death at Love House "5" strictly based on the valiant efforts of the cast, to overcome shoddy direction and lousy production values.

"Death At Love House" is the tale of two writers (who are married to each other) that move into the former estate of dead actress Lorna Love to write a book about her. However, strange things start happening around the house and the husband starts becoming a little too obsessed with Lorna Love, and the woman has to find a way to end the madness once and for all! This was surprisingly a well-done film that featured an all-star cast and a good storyline. "Death At Love House" also features a good plot, with twists and turns that keep you interested throughout the entire film. Definitely check this one out!Not Rated: Contains Mild ViolenceGrade: C

NYC writers Joel Gregory and his pregnant wife, Donna, move into the estate of long dead Hollywood sex goddess Lorna Love to research their latest book. Years before, Lorna had had an affair with Joel's artist father and when he left her she turned to witchcraft to ensure he'd come back to her one day... This low budget Aaron Spelling ABC MOVIE OF THE WEEK has future boob tube icons Robert Wagner and Kate Jackson in the leads as writers who's marriage and lives are in jeopardy when it looks like Lorna's returned from the grave to pick up where she left off in her love life. It was filmed almost entirely on the old Harold Lloyd estate and has the late Miss Love's preserved body under glass in the garden tended by her sinister housekeeper (old-time Hollywood star Sylvia Sidney). 1960s starlet Marianna Hill is the lovely Lorna in flashback with cameo appearances by John Carradine as the movie queen's former director, Dorothy Lamour as her one-time cinematic rival, and Joan Blondell as her adoring fan club president. The story itself is more mystery than horror and nostalgia for Hollywood -and the "Golden Age Of TV Movies"- is the main reason for tuning in.