I can't understand the low rating. I love this movie. It's more enjoyable than admittedly classier films like Silence of the Lambs, Dressed to Kill, Cape Fear, etc, precisely because it's such a B movie. And it's leagues ahead of the dreary Friday the 13th type movies. Ironside is terrifying and Lee Grant is excellent. One of the most terrifying films I've seen, and one of the most enjoyable.
shareYes, this is a goody and I prefer it to Dressed To Kill-80' and Cape Fear-91'. Lambs is a different kettle of fish; but as far as low budget psycho\slasher thrillers go, VH pretty much knows how to deliver in the shocks and scares department, with some disturbing violence. Michael Ironside makes his psychopathic character terrifying and also sympathetic and the victims are also likeable enough to care about them. This is how the best killers and killings are portrayed in psycho films.
Don't eat the whole ones! Those are for the guests. 🍪
Aside from the excellent acting from all involved, The low rating is due to the direction and what would be labeled as particularly unpleasant violence; type of "nasty" violence that critics draw a line with. I don't even consider it a slasher movie. It had a very realistic quality to it, which critics either love or hate. Slashers are entertaining; this film was disturbing
Also: some odd events, like Grant's hospital bathroom conveniently having an open contain of --marked what do you know: "alcohol". Alcohol evaporates. And Itonside had Linda Purl right in his grasp, yet stabs a knife into her and kicks her, when he normally murders people, and with her daughter almost watching it happen.
The low rating is due to the direction and what would be labeled as particularly unpleasant violence...
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I think the direction of this film was fine, in spite of some logic gaps. The performances were strong like you have mentioned and the film was scary and suspenseful in many parts. The script may have had some minor weaknesses, but these are negligible.
Slashers are entertaining; this film was disturbing...Ironside had Linda Purl right in his grasp, yet stabs a knife into her and kicks her, when he normally murders people, and with her daughter almost watching it happen.
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He murders them slowly and watches them dying, while he is photographing them. That is what he was doing here with Purl's character. This was his MO. She just didn't happen to die and by that time I don't think he could've cared less. He was getting more and more frustrated because he hadn't gotten to Grant's character yet.
Don't eat the whole ones! Those are for the guests. 🍪
It's not a slasher, it's horror suspense.
shareDecent film but far from my favorite slasher.
Lacks the fun and charm of many. I doubt this film will become a regular rewatch for me, it was quite plodding at times. This is longer than your typical slasher and feels it. Not sure it needed to be quite so long, it contained a lot of slow scenes.
Decent tension building and loud noise jump scares, plus the film utilizied some quirky camera angles. It reminded me a bit of Intruder (1989) in that sense, in fact I looked up the cinematographer to see if he shot Intruder as well, he didn't.