Directed by:
Ovidio G. AssonitisScreenplay:
Ovidio G. AssonitisCinematography:
Roberto D'Ettorre PiazzoliComposer:
Riz OrtolaniCast:
Trish Everly, Michael MacRae, Dennis Robertson, Morgan Most, Jerry Fujikawa, Edith Ivey, Allison BiggersPlots(1)
Beautiful do-gooder Julia (Trish Everly) and her insane, hideously deformed twin sister Mary (Allison Biggers) have a hard time occupying the same room, let alone the same town, without Mary either brandishing a butcher knife or letting her giant killer dog come out to play. Their uncle, Father James (Dennis Robertson), presses for reconciliation but to no avail. With their mutual birthday fast approaching, Mary escapes from the local asylum. Soon thereafter, the bodies of Julia s friends and students mount around her. But is Mary actually the killer? (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (2)
Madhouse isn't a bad film, even in terms of acting, and Dennis Robertson clearly enjoyed his role, giving it an unforgettable charm. And there's definitely more to the film. The work with the deaf and the use of the deaf boy for an uncomfortable build-up, good work with gore, though not downright exceptional, and a great finale that is visually very well done in terms of the uncomfortably dark setting and scene.
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This movie can be compared with the similar Canadian horror movie Happy Birthday to Me, from the same year in some ways, although I must say that I was a little more entertained by There Was a Little Girl. Nevertheless, the movie lost to its Canadian rival in theory, as it did not appear in American movie theaters until two years later (under the alternative title Madhouse). It is an above-average slasher movie with a reliably dense atmosphere and several gory scenes, which could be enjoyed by audiences who are especially afraid of dogs. This is one of the more modest movies on the "video nasties" list, which, rather than for the explicit gore, of which there is not that much here, was down to the weak stomachs of British censors due to the infamous portrayal of one of the characters, who in their eyes should have been shown as an upstanding member of society, I guess.
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