"Savage Intruder" (also called "Hollywood Horror House") is a real product of its time. It seems that in the 1960s and into the 70s, all sorts of faded female stars of Hollywood's golden era were appearing in movies which were pretty embarrassing for their fans to watch. The best of these was probably "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?", as it jumpstarted the careers of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. But many other stars made even more outrageous films which did nothing to help them and only left them embarrassed. Lana Turner made "The Big Cube" (about LSD), Jennifer Jones made "Angel, Angel Down Below" (about a hippie singer and his cult) and Miriam Hopkins made "Savage Intruder" (also called "Hollywood Horror House")....and it's about her and a guy who likes to dismember women! The film never jumpstarted the careers of any of these three ex-stars...and in Hopkins' case, it might have been less because the film was awful and more because the film sat on the shelf for a couple years before a limited release.
Katharine (Hopkins) is a faded movie star who hasn't made a film in many years. Now, she mostly sits around getting drunk in her lovely mansion. But this is disrupted when she's so drunk she falls and severely injures herself...necessitating the hiring of a male assistant to push her wheelchair and carry her as needed. Unfortunately, the guy they hire, Vic, has a nasty little hobby...hacking women to pieces for kicks. He also has some serious Mommy Issues. And, over the course of the film, he gets rid of Katharine's staff and ultimately keeps the poor woman prisoner...or does he?! Is there any chance for the lady or will she end up like a human jigsaw puzzle like so many other women in Vic's life?
In addition to Hopkins, the film also features Gale Sondergaard as her chief assistant. While not nearly as famous as Hopkins back in the day, she nonetheless was an established name to add to the film.
While some might have been a bit embarrassed to be in such a sleazy slasher movie, both Sondergaard and Hopkins lobbied hard to get the film released and felt it would give their careers a new lease. I severely doubt if it could have done that...but must admit that although it's a bad film in many ways, it is entertaining...like watching a slow-motion train wreck! Plus you really have to admire them for trying so hard.
In many ways, this movie is like "Cast a Dark Shadow" (with Dirk Bogarde) and "Kind Lady" with Maurice Evans. In both films, lonely old ladies have a seemingly nice guy come to their homes and the 'nice guys' end up taking over and tormenting the poor ladies. In addition, toss in a heaping helping of "Psycho". So, in this sense, "Savage Intruder" is hardly original...though it combining this plot with a lot of gore is pretty original...and a bit weird.
The film was directed and written by Donald Wolfe, a guy who made very few films. It's a shame, as in some ways it's a bad film but it also is never dull and manages to entertain. Well worth seeing, especially if you have a high tolerance for the weird!
