There was a movie I remember from my childhood.  I think it was
made-for-TV, and I think it aired on ABC, but I could be wrong on both
accounts, and I'm pretty sure it was the early to mid-1970s.  The
premise of the movie is that there are these little creatures (male
and female) that live in a house (in the basement or the walls or
something).  The female creature is named Kathy, I think.  The female
creature dies and the male creature continually calls out "Kathy,"
longing for his "wife."  Meanwhile, a family of regular people moves
into the house.  The mom's name, coincidentally, is Kathy.  She freaks
out when she hears her name being called all the time.  This is as
much as I remember (other than I had nightmares for weeks) and some of
it could be wrong or mixed up.  Thanks!

I am confident that the movie you remember is "Don't Be Afraid of the
Dark." This was a made-for-TV movie that aired on ABC in 1973. Scared
the willies out of lots of people, including me.

In the movie, a young couple move into an old house. There are little
humanoid gnomelike creatures living in the walls and basement. They
call to her in whispery voices through the fireplace and air grates.
The woman's name is Sally, and the little people call out "Saaaalllly,
we want yooooou" and similar things, causing Sally (and her husband)
to think she is losing her mind.

You'll find an excellent synopsis of the plot here, complete with photos:

Terror Trap: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark 
http://www.terrortrap.com/television/dontbeafraidofthedark/

A few online references:

"The movie you are thinking of is 'Don't be Afraid of the Dark', a
1973 made-for-TV movie starring Kim Darby and Jim Hutton. Little
gnome-like creatures terrorize Sally Farnham in a big Victorian style
old house, whispering 'Saaaallly, Sssaaallly... we want you, we WANT
YOU...' Terrifying stuff. Probably the scariest TV movie of all time."

Jim O'Connell: Scary Movies
http://jim.mmdc.net/archives/2003/10/scary_movies.html

"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark starts with a young couple inheriting an
old victorian style house. They don't know that the house is inhabited
by three small demons that are locked in a blocked off fireplace. The
caretaker, played by William Demarest(Uncle Charlie from 'My Three
Sons') warns Sally,played by Kim Darby, that some things are better
left alone when she wants the old fireplace opened up. Sally attempts
to open the fireplace thus releasing the three small demons into the
house. They then want her for thier own. Strange things begin to
happen around the house and Sally at first begins to question her own
sanity. She sees the demons and her husband Alex, played by Jim
Hutton, does not believe her. I think the scariest part of this movie
is how vulnerable Sally feels. She cannot feel safe even at a dinner
party (she sees one of the demons on her lap under a napkin) The
demons cannot stand light and only attack in the dark. I can still
hear the whispering whenever I think of this movie.
Sally.....Sally......Sally.....Sally..... Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
is the creepiest movie ever made. What amazes me the most is that it
was made for TV!"

Amazon: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000F39T?v=glance

"1973's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, a slow-burning supernatural
freak-out that starts with corporate climber Jim Hutton and spouse Kim
Darby moving into her grandparents' rambling old manse. A bricked-up
fireplace in a long-locked study is opened, and the little missus soon
experiences whispering voices, scuttling noises, and poltergeisty
disturbances. They're dismissed as neurotic imaginings from the
'neglected wife of an overly ambitious husband' - but there are
gremlin-like creatures now free to claim a fresh spirit. Potentially
ridiculous, this scenario is rendered very unnerving by the restrained
direction (John Newland) and performances - particularly Darby's as a
woman half-convinced she's going insane until it's (surprise!) too
late... Kept kids and baby-sitters fretfully awake in the '70s."

San Francisco Bay Guardian: Film
http://www.sfbg.com/37/37/x_list_film.html

I hope this helps. If this is not the correct movie, please request
clarification; I'll be glad to offer further assistance before you
rate my answer.

Best regards,
pinkfreud

Thank you so much for establishing the name of this movie in my head,
finally. It is a greatly underrated and scary movie that I still
remember with slight chills from my childhood (i was 7 yrs old when I
saw it). Now, maybe, I can find it for sale somewhere.

That Trilogy of Terror doll is pretty good and scary, too. I can't
wait til I have kids so that I can torture them with it - ha.