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Watched this last night and I came away with all sorts of mixed reactions.

Yeah, it was creepy at times. I loved it when all of the clocks suddenly snapped to midnight. And when Karen started eating the old lady's food herself, I got a shiver. Anything to do with the black hearse and Mr. Creepy getting out of it with that demented smile, that was chilling.

I've gotta say, I didn't find Oliver Reed sexy at all, but he was pretty good acting-wise. I didn't find Bette Davis sexy, either. But she was a hoot! Any movie with Burgess (who ain't sexy in any way shape or form) in it, even for 10 minutes, is immediately better.

Now, to be quite honest, I've had a long-time fixation on Karen Black because of "Trilogy of Terror" and expected her to be sexy, but this might have cured me. For some reason I saw her face (especially her nose) in this movie and I couldn't help but think of Bob Hope. There were some moments where she looked softer than in others and her acting, while sometimes overstated, was generally OK, but I think it's over between us, Karen.

Moving on, the movie was frustrating to me because of a few nonsensical premises

You are expected to accept the fact that this family, already bringing with them one elderly woman who needed care, would take over a house with another 85-year-old woman upstairs BEFORE even meeting her. No way in reality does that happen.

The house was a horrendous mess. Why in God's name would they want a summer escape to that?

You never get an explanation why Oliver only went nutso that one time with the kid, but was generally sane the rest of the time. There is no resolution as to whether Bette did or didn't lock the window and turn on the gas. And why was the kid never affected at all?

I think I get the basic premise, that Burgess and the others were looking for someone to apparently replace good 'ol mom, and Karen was the obvious choice. But why? Or were they victims of the house themselves, just more people in a long line (as would be suggested by the old lady's photo collection) who decided not to fight the allure of the place and wind up on the drawing room table?

To be honest I would have preferred a different ending (where somehow Ben and the kid survive while Karen is left to her madness), but it was sufficiently horrific from an entertainment standpoint. When all was said and done, it was a worthwhile, if not a logical watch.

This one had been sitting on my vhs tape shelves unwatched for 23 years. Aside from it being a pretty good movie, I enjoyed the commercials on our local station for the 1986 model cars.