Kevin Tenney directed two respectable horror films (WITCHBOARD and NIGHT OF THE DEMONS) prior to this, which confuses me. Neither of the two prior flicks were masterpieces, but they were competently made with fairly good actors and a veneer of professionalism, which makes this cinematic millstone a giant question mark. One would think that Tenney had a handle on how to do things like create atmosphere, rising action and suspense, elicit good performances out of his actors, etc. Nuh-uh. With this movie, Tenney seems to have had a cinematic aneurysm, losing any sense of how to make a professional, polished product.

While the movie doesn't suffer from technical ineptness, there's an amateur quality to the whole thing that makes it feel almost like a 1970s drive-in movie. Oddball camera angles (the opening scene could make you seasick--watch it and you'll know what I mean), stiff or non-professional acting, lengthy exposition dumps, and dialogue that is in turns wooden or ingratiatingly cute, and little action until the third act all make for an annoying viewing experience. Still, it can be charming if you're in the right mood. Linnea Quigley is the only name actor I could spot, and her nude scene was a blessing in the midst of all this mediocrity. The actresses playing the psychic investigator and physical medium both came off to me as non-professional or poorly trained (the investigator in particular desperately needed some vocal or dialect training--her accent was annoying). The actors playing the two cops-for-hire were ok, but the constant one-liners they delivered got irritating pretty quick. The movie picked up steam near the end with some better than average special effects (which is probably where most of the budget went), which was a welcome relief from all the tedious exposition. Lovers of bad movies might want to try this one, but all others would do well to select something else to watch on Tubi.

Okay so this came up on my list on Amazon to watch for some reason. We start off with a horrible acting and camerawork scene of a scared man falling off a 2 story window. That was the longest fall from a 2 story window I've ever seen.

-1 Star for the horrible opening sequence with the fall from a 2 story window and the very watery blood that apparently spewed from the guys head......

Next scene, some girl in the bathtub lying there au natural. No fakery here and no hiding from the cameras.

+1 Star for letting it hang out a bit in the bathtub.....

So this is about the Lauder House, a supposedly haunted property. A team is assembled to properly EXORCISE this house, and be photographed. The owner wants to make BED AND BREAKFAST work. A team to investigate a psychic phenomenon and a team to provide security to that team.

So these 2 crews finally get to the house. Boy is there some horrible acting in this mess. And some crazy cliches in the dialogue. 'I never discuss religion on any day with a Y in it. ' So they begin with a 'session' after they setup all their equipment, and they try to contact Avery Lauder, the man of the HOUSE!

And basically what happens is the vocal medium starts getting all vocal, the physical medium starts flopping around like an idiot while the cool beans security dude he's definitely Super Joe Cool. But the blonde she gets killed in the SHOWER BY THE SHOWER. And I mean literally BY THE SHOWER, she gets killed.

Then there's a fight sequence between the groundskeeper and security Joe that is so intense I don't think I've seen a fight so intense since that one in S2 Ep5 of Bonanza, when Hoss Cartwright fought 'Stranger In Hat'. They finally figure out that they 'have to get out of this house, RIGHT NOW.' Oh dear!!!

-1 Star for that horrific fight scene

LOL well the groundskeeper got hisself a gun now and he's a crack shot. He shoots the gas tank in the van and blows that up. He shoots vocal medium in the gut. Quickly!!! They've trapped the spirit of Lauder in the Lauder spirit trapper device that was brought by Dr. Sprit Trapper, but it's not going to hold him!!!! We must rejoin Lauders heart with his ASHES!!! rUH ROH HE'S FREE!!! He repossesses physical medium Whitney!!! Bahahaha, and eats his own ashes!!! Well that's one way to keep them safe!!! Security Joe just saw HER chug down the urn of ashes yet he's calling HER MISS OSHEA NOW.

-1 Star for the MISS OSHEA line....

Lauder now says he's immortal and tosses Joe around like a rag doll. But Joe gets the heart box and throws it out the window where it splatters below the house and then Lauder melts, of course he's in Whitney's body right??? oh wait....is Whitney going to live through this?? OH YES, SHE IS. LAUDER MELTED ALL AROUND HER BODY AND LEFT HER BODY INTACT.... ROFL...

-1 FOR that hideous crap.

But Security Joe and Physical Medium Whitney they manage to survive the Lauder House and get to drive away. But is the Lauder ghost still roaming the halls of the Lauder House??? Oh my a question for the AGES!!!!

2/10

Let me start off this review by openly admitting that this silly supernatural late 80's low-budget fright flick is by no means a shamefully ignored and underrated "lost" classic. In fact, this film is often pretty bad and laughable, but fortunately in a way that's frequently unintentionally funny and hence quite enjoyable for all the wrong reasons. Four parapsychologists and three detectives who say plenty of howl-inducing pitiful dialogue (choice tin-eared gems include "I'm afraid of anything that makes a guy jump out a window," and "I take s**t from you as long as your worth it") investigate Lanterhouse, a creaky old mansion that's haunted by the malevolent spirit of nefarious warlock/mass murderer Avery Lanter, who -- big surprise! -- promptly starts to pick off the wholly deserving and unlikable dimwits in assorted gruesome ways (the best murder set piece occurs when a bullet gets levitated right into a cop's forehead!). Clumsily directed by the usually more competent Kevin S. Tenney (who also gave us the superior 80's shockers "Witchboard" and "Night of the Demons"), with incredibly awful acting, a ridiculous "Carrie" rip-off ending, good gore f/x by Judy Yokemotto, and a hokey plot that blatantly copies "Poltergeist," this uproariously atrocious junk qualifies as a complete gut-busting hoot from stupid start to fumbled finish. As a substantial added bonus, the luscious Linnea Quigley once again dutifully doffs her duds and bares her beautiful body for her umpteenth utterly gratuitous, but much-appreciated shower nude scene (poor Linnea has her neck pierced by an understandably excited shower nozzle). A so-horrible-it's-paradoxically-happening prime tasty chunk of delectably dreadful cheese.