The Haunted House of Horror

A dull party among swinging London twenty-somethings pushes them to seek thrills at an old, supposedly haunted mansion. The group includes Chris, Sheila, Sylvia, Dorothy, Madge, Peter, Richard, Henry, and Paul Kellet. They decide to go to the mansion for the night, hoping for something exciting.

They explore the mansion together and sense a growing unease as the night deepens. They even hold a séance by candlelight, inviting whatever is inside to reveal itself. The night’s atmosphere shifts from playful to ominous as they split up to search the rooms.

Sylvia, increasingly frightened by the mansion, leaves and hitchhikes toward home. Kellet stays behind, lingering as the others retreat to the party's edge of the manor. The house seems to close in around him.

Alone inside, Gary is brutally knifed, and Dorothy and the others stumble upon his body in panic. Their initial suspicion and fear lead to a quick, panicked decision to cover up what happened. Chris persuades them that one of their number must be the killer.

Chris convinces the group to move Gary's body far from the mansion and to pretend that he simply left, not vanished. The survivors wrestle with guilt and the chilling possibility that someone among them is capable of murder. The plan to hide the truth tests their loyalties and nerves.

In the weeks that follow, tension and guilt simmer as the missing Gary becomes a police matter. The group is questioned, and paranoia gnaws at friendships as each member wonders who is capable of killing. Trust frays as rumors swirl.

Kellet confronts Sylvia about a lighter that might link them to the mansion, then returns to the house and is killed. The confrontation sown by suspicion raises the body count and deepens the danger they face. The survivor group grows more paranoid with each passing hour.

Dorothy summons the others to confess, but Chris urges them to return to the house to uncover the killer before more lives are lost. The order to investigate pits them against fear and the unknown. The group edges back toward the source of the danger.

Sylvia is visited by police again and reveals the location of the house after learning of Kellet's disappearance. The new information shifts the pursuit back toward the mansion. The police coordinate a new strategy to confront the danger.

Back at the mansion, Dorothy becomes hysterical and several of the group depart, leaving only Chris, Sheila and Richard. The trio steels themselves for a final confrontation with the killer in their midst. A tense calm settles over the halls as fear tightens its grip.

While Sheila is out of the room, Richard recounts being locked in a basement for three days as a child and reveals a paralyzing fear of the dark. His confession adds a new layer to the growing dread in the mansion. The revelation complicates the group’s attempt to identify the murderer.

Despite Chris' efforts to calm the situation, Richard knifes Chris, and Sheila is frantically chased around the mansion. The danger shifts from mystery to a life-threatening pursuit. Panic erupts as the killer closes in.

As the moon goes behind a cloud, Richard reverts to his childhood fear of the dark, momentarily freezing and disarming him. This sudden shift saves Sheila from a lethal blow but does little to end the terror in the haunted mansion. The moment buys time for the arrival of help.

The police arrive at the end of the brutal night, bringing an end to the immediate danger and offering a sliver of resolution. The surviving members confront the consequences of their choices and the secrets the night revealed. The mansion falls silent as dawn approaches.