Subliminal Terror

TERROR IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE-1958-Sheila (Cathy O'Donnell) has been having the same mysterious dream her whole life. A old house with the name Tierney on the outside. She goes up the stairs “where death awaits her”. She tells this to a psychiatrist in Switzerland just before she and her husband Philip (familiar character and voice actor Gerald Mohr) leave for America. Phil seems loving but some things he says also sound sinister. He takes her to  a secluded house in Florida so she can get some rest. Guess what? It's the same house from her dreams! Caretaker Jonah (John Qualen) says he's waiting for the original owners to come back. They decide to leave but wouldn't you know it...someone tampered with their car engine. Phil blames Jonah but it was Phil who was out there alone while getting their bags. Later Jonah tells Sheila that the previous owners were known as “The Mad Tierneys”. At night Sheila hears a scream, sees a figure at the window (“a hideous inhuman face”) and is chased by Jonah's dog (which seems to obey Phillip). After finding evidence that hubby is responsible for the car not running, she prowls around, sees the stairs in her dream and faints. The next day she accuses Phil and he leaves in a huff. Then a guy named Snell (William Ching) shows up and claims to own the house and the couple are there without permission. Later Sheila finds out from Jonah that grandpa Tierney killed most of his family and that Snell and Phil, the last of the Tierneys, are cousins. When it seems like Phil tries to kill his wife with a faulty chandelier, Snell tells Sheila about a strain of madness that only gets stronger with age. 

Despite its low budget this little psychological mystery keeps you guessing right up to the finale. Aka MY WORLD DIES SCREAMING, the original version used subliminal images to scare viewers. Rhino Video later acquired it and released it with their own messages. Director Harold Daniels made BAYOU the year before also with Cathy O'Donnell.

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