Its plot follows a group of aspiring actresses and models who begin to die mysteriously in a Los Angeles boarding house, which was once the site of a series of bizarre deaths.

On September 18, 1972, Dr. Hoffman and his wife, both of whom specialized in the study of telekinesis and the occult, are found dead in their Mulholland Drive ranch home on the night of their anniversary party.

Their deaths, ruled a double suicide, were witnessed by the couple's thirteen-year-old daughter, Debbie, who was institutionalized due to a subsequent nervous breakdown.

A couple who subsequently purchase the home also befall gruesome, unexplained deaths in it, as does the following buyer, Herman Royce.

Jim, a playboy who himself is obsessed with the occult and telekinesis, places a newspaper ad encouraging young, single women to move in.

After they settle in, an English woman, Debbie, arrives, pleading to move in; she agrees to stay in the sole remaining cramped spare room in the house.

At the housewarming party, Jim's college friend, a police officer, arrives to tell him that Cindy's body was recovered from the beach.

A postscript reveals that the Hoffman residence burned to the ground the night of the party, and that Jim is now working professionally as a programmer, while Victoria is a successful singer.

He, under an alternate name (Obee Ray), also shot a couple of extra sequences for the eventual re-edit which the distributor insisted on.

[7][6] The film also used a movie gimmick titled Horror Vision, wherein a warning would pop up on the screen to let audiences know that a violent scene was happening soon.

[11] On February 25, 2013, Slasher//Video founder Jesús Terán announced via YouTube that he had obtained the rights to release Boardinghouse for its 30th anniversary.

Other features include a brand new commentary with director John Wintergate and actress/wife Kalassu, two never before seen interviews, two music videos made the same time as Boardinghouse, an extensive group of trailers and television spots, photo gallery, and more.

[4] A contemporaneous review published in Cinefantastique noted: "This film is a perfect example of why horror grosses have plummeted at the box-office.