'70s Trash: Frightmare

A silly title for a Film that takes itself 100% seriously.  Those are the best kinds of Films, no?  Today's Film is Frightmare, a 1974 Horror Film about family, murder and...well, that's it.  There's really not much to this when you break it down.  It is a tale of a family torn apart by one of them being a murderous cannibal.  Can they come back together?  Is she really cured?  What is a Frightmare?  This Film goes by a few alternate titles- on account of being British- like Cover Up (lame) and Once Upon a Frightmare (better).  The Film was made by Pete Walker, a British Director with a 15 year career.  Oddly enough, his last Film was made in the year I was born and features Vincent Price.  No, I still haven't seen House of the Long Shadows yet.  Should I?  He's got a handful of notable Films that I should probably do in the future- Schizo and The Comeback being the big ones.  In the meantime, I'll settle for this strange little Film...

In the late '50s, a woman is caught with some bodies and locked up in an Asylum as a Cannibal.

In the Present (of 1974), we follow two women.  The first (back of frame) eggs on an edgy boyfriend to stand up for her against mostly-imagined slights.

No, I don't know why the guy is wearing a Palm Springs, California shirt is Sussex.  He is named 'Alec' though.

The other Sister is more down to Earth and dating a lovely young man who just wants to help her.

Not-so shockingly, the pair don't get along.  This girl is still more likable than Laurie in Rob Zombie's Halloween II though.

In the Countryside, Mom is back home from the Asylum and totally-cured, now working as a Taro Card Reader.

Psych- still a murderous cannibal!

The conflict of the Film involves her husband- who didn't just divorce her- and the older Sister.  They know about her past, while the younger one doesn't.

They are both unwilling accomplices in some regards, although the Sister is less than Dad here.

The climax involves the boyfriend- also a Psychiatrist- coming to check on Mom, but getting caught when the younger Sister comes home.

She has been giving into her urges- and revealed to the be real Daughter, not the other lady!- and this doesn't end well for him!

And so the Film ends with both boyfriends dead- Alec being killed earlier- and the older Sister confronted by a knife-wielding sibling (just not by blood).

Instead of showing the end, we just see a close-up of poor Dad's expression.  The End.

A strange and dour Film.  The Plot is pretty simple- woman can't stop killing and family gets involved.  There are other hang-ups- like both boyfriends- but it all really revolves around that.  The Film does a nice job of giving too much away at first and building up its reveals.  For instance, we see 'bad' Alec beat up the Bartender.  Much later, we see the man's body and it's mutilated far beyond what he did in the fight.  The Film is telling you that the younger Sister did this and that she knows about her Mother's past crimes.  After all, the injuries we see are in line with what she did (and does!).  It's not until near the end that she makes an official turn, so kudos for the build-up.  Likewise, a fairly-nothing Scene happens with the good boyfriend, but it pays off at the end when she can identify him for who he really is.  There's still some weird padding and the Film can be a bit much.  So many unhappy people is hard to endure for too long, you know.  It's by no means a perfect or even really-good proto-Slasher.  What it is, however, is a solid Film that manages to be bleak and also interesting.  It's not one that I'm going to want to see again anytime soon, but I can recommend it for the like-minded.  Speaking of recommendations, who else needs a giant, wooden caveman face on their wall?

Next time, I stay in the '70s for some more rarities.  So, so many choices for this one.  Stay tuned...