''House of Evil'' (''Serenata macabra''/ ''Macabre Serenade'') a.k.a. ''Dance of Death'', is a 1968 Mexican

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

directed by

Luis Enrique Vergara Luis Enrique Vergara (13 May 1922 – 2 February 1970) was a Mexican film producer and screenwriter who made low-budget horror and monster movies from 1950 to 1971. In attempt to please all film goers, he combined monsters and horror with act ...

and Jack Hill. It stars

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...

and

Julissa Julissa (born Julia Isabel de Llano Macedo; 8 April 1944 in Mexico City, D.F., Mexico) is a Mexican actress, producer and singer. She is the daughter of radio and television personality Luis de Llano Palmer and actress Rita Macedo. Her childr ...

. It was filmed in May 1968, but released theatrically in 1972, three years after Karloff had died.Nollen, Scott Allen. Boris Karloff: A Gentleman's Life. Pg. 307. Midnight Marquee & BearManor Media. ''House of Evil'' is one of four low-budget Mexican horror films Karloff made in a package deal with Mexican producer

. The others are ''

Isle of the Snake People ''Snake People'' (''La muerte viviente''/ ''The Living Dead'') a.k.a. ''Isle of the Snake People'', is a 1968 Mexican horror film directed by Juan Ibáñez and starring Boris Karloff and Julissa. (It was filmed in May 1968, but was only released ...

'', ''

The Incredible Invasion ''The Incredible Invasion'' (''Invasion siniestra''/ ''The Sinister Invasion''), also known as ''Alien Terror'', is a 1968 Mexican science fiction film directed by Luis Enrique Vergara. It stars Boris Karloff, Yerye Beirute and Enrique Guzmán. It ...

'', and ''

Fear Chamber ''Fear Chamber'' (''La camara del terror''/ ''The Room of Terror''), also released as ''The Torture Zone'', is a 1968 Mexican horror film directed by Juan Ibáñez and starring Boris Karloff and Julissa. It was filmed in May 1968, but was only re ...

''. Karloff's scenes for all four films were directed by

Jack Hill Jack Hill (born January 28, 1933) is an American film director in the exploitation film genre. Several of Hill's later films have been characterized as feminist works. Early life Hill was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Mildred (n� ...

in Los Angeles in the spring of 1968. The films were then completed in Mexico.Stephen Jacobs, ''Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster'', Tomahawk Press 2011 p 503-504

Plot synopsis

Morhenge Mansion, 1900: The dying Matthias Morteval invites his dysfunctional relatives to his home for a will reading. However, he dies, and soon the relatives are being murdered one by one by his living robotic toys.

Cast

as Matthias Morteval *

as Lucy Durant *

Andrés García Andrés García (born May 24, 1941) is a Dominican-born Mexican actor. He has formerly served as a scuba diving instructor in Acapulco. Career García was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He is the son of Spanish exiles from ...

as Beasley *

José Ángel Espinosa 'Ferrusquilla' José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

as Dr. Emery Horvath *Beatriz Baz as Cordelia Rash *Quintín Bulnes as Ivar Morteval *Manuel Alvarado as Morgenstein Morteval *Arturo Fernández as Fodor

References

External links

* * 1968 films 1968 horror films Mexican horror films English-language Mexican films Films set in country houses 1960s English-language films 1960s Mexican films {{1960s-Mexico-film-stub