I enjoyed this movie, it had a little bit of a Texas chainsaw family feel to it, obviously before that movie was ever made. The spider game was creepy and fun. I don’t pretend to know the intent of the movie makers at the time, but it seems like they weren’t trying to make a serious horror film and were just having fun with it. The acting fits the content and gives the movie that campy feel like the Adam West Batman series. As with most old horror movies that have a person of color in them, it was easy to guess what was going to happen. In this case Mr. Moreland (The Messenger) is indeed the first character to play the “spider game”. Overall this movie does what it was supposed to do, which is entertain.
What a wonderfully odd little film. It's unlike anything else and I was really drawn to it! The film follows a family who suffers from rare syndrome causing a deterioration of mind and body at an early age. That's why the family members are disturbed and murderous but still think like a child. A guardian protects them after their father's death and they all live in a decaying mansion. Things go bad when one day the relatives visit them with lawyers and try to institutionalize them and repossess their home. To be honest I wasn't sure what to make of it at first but once I got the hang of it, it's a blast. This is a low budget horror comedy executed flawlessly. Usually films like this, that take place in an old dark house, tend to have more comedy elements than horror, but this film that is as comedic as it is terrifying. It's sick, bizzare, humorous, tender, there's just something enchanting about it. Maybe because it isn't afraid to display intense violence and the film tries so many different tones and for some reason it works incredibly well, making this a very fun watch. All characters are fantastic. There isn't one bad performance in this film. The sisters are delightfully deranged and Lon Chaney gives such a moving performance. This will definitely be one that I revisit every year.
I found this film by watching The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made. Thanks I say. :)
It's got the usual trashy cheese but adds good music and style. The interesting part is the character of Bruno, who is in a real predicament. There is also a feeling of who is wrong or right. Was Bruno and master protecting the children or are they monsters?
Shout by Chris BrinkBlockedParent2013-05-06T05:07:35Z
While the story is pretty crazy, the film's atmosphere is effectively eerie, thanks to lighting design & camera work, and the performances are good (especially Lon Cheney Jr.'s). For fans of '60s horror/suspense, this is a definite must-see.