Like many a horror film, this starts off with a varied bunch of people seeking shelter once they discover that a bridge they need to cross has collapsed, and they end up at a spooky mansion (looks like a cheap model!) run by a guy who kind of looks like that guy out of No Country For Old Men.
Our victims this time include uptight Giacomo Rossi-Stuart who hates his boozy, floozy wife (and she hates him back!), two cops who have just arrested murderer Spike, a doctor, his assistant and a local who provides the creepy exposition. Every single one of them smoke like troopers, including the doctor. The caretaker tells them it's probably not a good idea to stay the night but then doesn't seem to bothered as he has a naked chick in his room.
After her suggestion of an orgy is turned down, Giacomo's wife then finds out that the house was owned by a lady who was accused of killing her husband, and also accused of being a witch. The wife thinks this is a good time to do a séance and that's where the film starts getting interesting as all of a sudden Giacomo becomes possessed and starts talking in the dead ladies voice. Seems that the night isn't going to be as boring as they thought
In amongst all the Gialli and Spaghetti Westerns I'm watching it's nice to watch a straightforward horror film, even if it is a bit patchy and slow. There's a nice atmosphere to this one, and although it's not great all the way through, there are some sequences that stand out, like when Giacomo's wife has a strange hallucination that she's stabbing Farley Granger over and over again while he laughs in her face, or the constant ticking of clocks throughout the house which makes me wonder if Lucio Fulci had this film in mind when making The House of Clocks years later.
There also a guy getting attacked by a picture and some disembodied laughing, plus the end sequence is carried out quite well. You can add this one to pile of horror the Italian made set giant houses. Or do something worthwhile instead.