Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Barbara Stanwyck (Ruth) and her niece Kitty Winn (Sara) move into a new house in the country. We know it's haunted as we watch them through someone else's eyes from an empty room, having just heard a soundtrack to some evil event that previously occurred there. Neighbour Richard Egan (Pat) drops by to welcome them and invite them to dinner. It's here that they meet college student Michael Anderson Jr. (Stan), Egan's relative Mabel Albertson (Mrs McDougall) and friend Doreen Lang (Sylvia). The cast is now complete and we follow proceedings as Lang suggests a séance at Stanwyck's house and all agree to attend. God knows why she does this. It's just not the first thing you think of for a house warming! Unfortunately, Lang is a very annoying mystic who screams a lot. Shut up and do your channelling properly! No screaming. It should be rule number one. I went to a séance and nobody screamed – it is not necessary. Anyway, she's not in the film much, thank goodness. Things don't get much better, though. Whilst this film does have a few set pieces that keep you watching, there is nothing new in any of it and you can guess what's going to happen from the beginning. I got the whole story pretty early on. Maybe it's because I've watched lots of these kinds of stories, but maybe it's because the film is just not very good. I needed something more tricky. My wife thought it was amateurishly done as the cast explain in simple fashion what they are going to do. Other reviewers have likened it to Scooby Doo and the plot solving is very much like that. There are also the obligatory stupid moments when things that are needed are dropped or sharp objects handed to people who clearly shouldn't be holding these objects based on passed performance! Still, this is not a gore fest so it scores on that front. It passes the time but there's not much to this offering, especially if you've seen a couple of these types of film

This one is worth a watch if you like the 1970s made for TV horror and thriller films. It starts getting pretty good after about 10 to 15 minutes into the film, when the first séance is held.Sara and her Aunt Ruth move into a new home and it's haunted by a girl and her father. But why are their spirits still here on Earth? Why haven't they moved on? What do they want? -- The film has your basic haunting questions that makes for a decent TV movie.If you are into ghost and haunting films then you might like "The House That Would Not Die". It's got a pretty good cast and story.7/10

Ruth Bennett (a fine performance by Barbara Stanwyck) and her niece Sara Dunning (a spunky and appealing portrayal by the pretty Kitty Winn) move into an old house that's haunted by the ghosts of the original owners. Director John Llewellyn Moxey, working from a tidy script by Henry Farrell, relates the engrossing story at a steady pace, does a solid job of creating and sustaining a spooky atmosphere, and maintains an intriguing air of mystery throughout. Moreover, there's a strong central theme about the need for closure. The sound acting by the sturdy cast holds the movie together: Stanwyck and Winn display a pleasing chemistry in the lead roles, Richard Egan has a few stand-out creepy scenes in which his character Pat McDougal gets possessed by a malevolent spirit, Michael Anderson Jr. does well as the amiable and helpful Stan Whitman, and Doreen Lang contributes a nice turn as sensitive medium Sylvia Wall. Laurence Rosenthal's shivery score hits the spine-tingling spot. Worth a watch.

I remember seeing this on TV when it was first broadcast back in the `70s. I remember a "big, bold" haunted house movie with a great mystery and climax. Sadly, when I finally got a copy, I found this to be a rather "small" film. The story/plot isn't very engaging and people say and act in very "odd" ways--and I don't mean appropriate to the genre! All of the sudden, someone will act weird, then normal, and no one seems to pay much attention to their behavior! And once the mystery is solved...the movie just ends. So that "climax" I remember doesn't seem to have existed. Anyway, I say pass on this.