Here's a nice slice of late 70s nasty exploitation, Don't Go In The House is the controversial film in question and this review comes from our resident horror reviewer, Richard Long, so if you like Horror movies that are actually horrible (not in a bad way) then click read more and checkout Richard's review after the jump...
Written By Richard Long
I’d
heard lots about this film from various video nasty documentaries and
books but hadn’t seen it until it was released on the Arrowdrome
label. I had seen the early video sleeve by Arcade Video which,
judging by its cover, expressed to me this was going to be a grungy
awful horror movie that psychopaths might enjoy whilst eating raw
fish heads and torturing small puppies. What I didn’t realise at
the time was Arcade Video were great at producing striking and
shocking video sleeves that sometimes were more shocking than the
film they were advertising.
Don’t
go in the House reminded me of all the American horror movies I’d
watch in the 80’s, like Friday 13th
and The Burning. It has a real nostalgic feel for me – having
never seen it – of the video rental days and the low budget horror
movies I would discover.
Donald
is a disturbed young man who, after an abused childhood in which his
mother would physically burn him to rid him of evil, grows up having
an obsession with fire. The film opens with Donald being mesmerized
when a co-worker is engulfed during a freak accident. Afterwards
Donald returns home to discover his mother is dead and he is free
from her tyranny and with ghostly voices echoing his head, mixed with
the torments of his mother, Donny decides along with smoking and
listening to disco records, to punish all women who remind him of his
wicked mother. It does sound very Psycho and during the early stages
of the movie you can clearly see where it takes its inspiration from.
So
Donald rings in sick and panels the walls in a bedroom with steel and
chains before picking up a victim and setting her on fire with his
flamethrower. Nasty!
Now I
know why the BBFC had such a gripe with this early scene, which is
the artwork used on the Arcade video sleeve. The effects in this
scene are grim but highly well done and of course nowadays it’s
clear to see how the effect is done. Gore aside this scene is
pivotal to the film as it shows what Donald is capable of and the
lengths his psychosis has driven him too. I discovered besides this
early scene, this film isn’t a gore fest and is a well crafted
movie. During the slaughter of Donald’s next victims we aren’t
given the chance to see their tormented death because, of course
there is no need too. We have already seen what Donald does and this
film isn’t about shock value but works more effectively with its
high tension. However, worth mentioning must be when the film was
released and the early scene I’ve mentioned was cut out completely
thanks to the BBFC. I can imagine viewers felt rather cheated.
Almost
every other shocking murder happens off screen. There is high
tension as unlucky victims fall for Donald’s charms and, just when
you think the film is becoming too bleak, Donald is convinced by a
wife cheating colleague to go to a disco and it’s here were we have
some wonderful comic relief moments. Donald tries on the latest 70’s
fashion in a clothes store with a camp store worker, which is filmed
and played brilliantly. It’s a scene that takes all the tension
and darkness away and allows the viewer to take a breath before the
bizarre second act. We also have a wonderful disco scene where
Donald decides to thrust his dates head into a candle in over the top
comedy (which isn’t played for laugh).
By this
point, the movie has stripped away the subtlety of the first half and
replaced it with zombie like creatures of the women Donald has
killed, over the top screaming and a bizarre ending which seems
almost tagged onto it.
I
enjoyed this movie in the same way I liked the Burning or Friday
13th. It’s not
disturbing or depressing like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and
it’s not boring or nonsensical like Driller Killer.
Don’t
go in the House was made as a drive-thru movie and there are some
slices of America in it which remind me fondly of the movies I grew
up on. It also, for all its Psycho influences, is a very well shot
movie with great acting and a storyline that is always moving forward
with a nice pace to it. The tension in scenes where Donald is
building his torture room and calling in sick is wonderfully filmed,
and leaves the viewer dreading what could be about to take place.
Like
many video nasties this shouldn’t have been labelled one. Its well
made and crafted and reminded me of late night video rentals.
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