AKA: Grandmother’s House – Runtime: 90 Minutes – Country: USA – A: For Adults Only
David (Eric Foster) and Lynn (Kim Valentine) are two desperate siblings: after the loss of their mother they now have to deal with the decease of their father, too. Shortly after the funeral it is decided that they should live with their granparents (Len Lesser and Ida Lee) from now on – so they are send to their house in the countryside. But they basically have no time to be in mourning for their parents – unfortunately their new home is not a very peaceful one neither. Their grandparents are behaving kind of awkward, soon a dead body is found – of course, very close to the house… Meanwhile David seems to be the only one who can just feel that there must be something wrong here… so he tries to discover the truth. But his granparents certainly would not allow that – they seem to keep a secret so big and disturbing that even their grandson must not know about…
A rather simple storyline – which is totally mixed- and messed up due the development of the film. One could take this as the most outstanding feature – or think of a rather annoying flick. I would definitely go for the second option here. Of course, one must think of the time this film was originally released – which was back in the late eighties. Confusing horror related and slightly surreal touched films were quite in fashion back then, such as in the early nineties – just think of “The Reflecting Skin“.
Warning – Spoilers ! But if you take a closer look, you will soon find out that this film has a rather non stating content – it irritates you with a lot of filmic distortion and the lack of knowledge on who actually is the evil person – what functioned well in the first half. The second however is just not to be taken serious. You could not get rid of the feeling that this should rather be a comedy parody – unfortunately it is ment to be a real thriller. One thing I could not really get – why were the grandparents behaving like they did, what is the point with the mother ? Of course, that is explained in the end; unfortunaltey only partly – that is another point why I think of one of the most disappointing endings I have ever seen in a film.
What would thrill the audience more: The shocking scenes; or David’s look…
It is just like this: you would not really know what this film is all about, at least in the first 80 minutes – and in the last few you are just blitzed with information. That is just not what I would recall a well working nor a suspense-packed plot – I almost felt like dying of boredom sometimes, just to become staggered by some senseless action and serious information towards the overall end. For example: the hysteric and bloodthirsty woman who seems to kill without any reason (we get to know it: she in fact is the children’s real mother); and one of the most hilarious chasing scenes I have ever seen. The mother is driving a truck, chasing her own kids – who just can not think of running to the left or right, but straight forward. At the time they are actually doing the right thing – by hiding deeper in the woods – their mother appears right in front of them. In the next scene she sits in the car again. Crikey !
The acting part however was not too bad. Especially Eric Foster as David could convince – maybe only by his look and the obvious glance in his eyes. At least they could express what maybe was intended by the film. And, we do not have very high production costs – no money wasted, at least. However, I do not feel like watching this one again – it seems rather antiquated nowadays, and just can not shock anymore. I can not really imagine that it could back then. Of course, beside the whole rape and incest story, which was not seriously thematized at all – unfortunately.
The audience just would not get any further explanations, but rather gets to see some random killing; at least that’s what it looks like. A mentally ill mother, who was abused by her own father and therefore turns out to be a serial killer; fighting everyone under the steady control of her parents: a good intention, but a rather messy realization – 4.8 out of 10.
