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| Image credit: Movie Poster Shop |
Ever wondered what
Psycho would be like if it was a
B-horror movie directed by Francis Coppola and produced by Roger Corman? I’m
guessing you probably haven’t but for anyone who’s mind has actually wandered
that road you’d need look no further…
It begins with a
shady villainess’ plan to manipulate her would-be mother-in-law into changing
her will. After her husband suffers a heart attack Louise (Luana Anders) is
furious that she’ll be left nothing while the Haloran fortune is given to a
mysterious charity under the name of ‘Kathleen’. However, her scheme is cut
short when she’s killed by an axe-wielding figure. When a local hunter also
goes missing it becomes apparent that there is something haunting the Haloran
Castle and as more strange incidents start to happen the family’s doctor
(Patrick Magee) makes it his mission to solve the riddle and find out what really
happened to Kathleen Haloran.
A very Hitchock
story without any of the visual sophistication and flair, this schlock thriller
is actually quite amusing –until the ending. Watching a movie like this makes
you realise just how important the ending is to a horror film. The best movies
end on a note of lingering danger: Psycho
with the skeletal face of Norman’s mother morphing over his own, Nightmare on Elm Street with Freddy
dragging Nancy’s mother through the transom, Silence of the Lambs where Dr. Lector says “I’m having an old
friend for dinner”…
Good horror movies hinge on their endings and obviously bad
ones don’t mind so much. The abrupt answer to all the riddles mixed with the
single-line explanation of a very loaded question –all this coming after a
‘climax’ that is not so climactic- does have the affect of leaving one in a
state of ‘huh', despite being a very gothic structural trope.
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| Image credit: IMDb |
Aside from that detail, the film actually boasts some solid performances, a fair
amount of mystery, and a few cleverly constructed red herrings to minutely
throw us off the track. There’s enough gore in it to make you cringe
–impressive as this was made in the ‘60s- and the playful banter between the
paranormal and the psychological is rather enjoyable.
Starring: William Campbell, Luana Anders, Bart Patton,
Mary Mitchel, Patrick Magee, Eithne Dunne, Peter Read, Karl Schanzer, and Ron
Perry
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