User reviews

Keep My Grave Open has a better concept than execution with most of the film playing like a Tennessee Williams pot boiler with a creepy brother/sister alone in an old country house. There's also a sword wielding killer who pops up here and there, causing some bloody damage.

As usual, he has attracted a committed group of actors, but the story just isn't as exciting as it should be. When it should be thrilling, it just meanders. It's still worth a watch for Brownrigg fans. Even mediocre Browrigg films have more imagination than most big studio films do.

Lesley Fontaine (Camilla Carr) is an attractive but mentally unbalanced woman who lives in an isolated mansion with her brother Kevin, for whom she shares incestuous desires. When she not shouting at or getting jiggy with Kevin (who may or may not be a figment of her imagination), Lesley fills her time with a little stalk and slash, using a sword to cut down those who enter her estate.

Director S.F. Brownrigg is best known for his effective asylum shocker Don't Go In The Basement and the sleazy backwoods slasher Scum Of The Earth (AKA Poor White Trash II). Keep My Grave Open, the last of Brownrigg's horror films, is, by comparison, a far more reserved effort, the film-maker keeping his plot's more lurid elements very low key. This less exploitative approach, combined with an extremely measured (ie., boring) pace, results in one of the Texan auteur's least satisfying efforts, a dreary psycho horror that fails to deliver either cheap scares, bargain basement gore or gratuitous nudity, staple ingredients of any self-respecting low-budget Z-grade trash horror.

What would be a relatively mediocre non-Hollywood low-budget effort is raised to above average and better that expected by the performance of Camilla Carr in the lead. She's playing a character who's obviously a split personality, as we are led to believe, and who possibly had an incestual relationship with her brother, or at least an imagined one. The other personality is the "brother" who is a psychotic killer. We are left wondering if the brother ever really existed, or if she just created him in her mind, or if he did once live, is he now dead? And how may he have died? Camilla takes the role and does it justice, subtle when need be, and gregarious at other times. She exemplifies a beautiful and attractive women who is also overtly psychotic, and for men viewing the film, is a woman who would both attract and repulse at the same moment. It would be a tough choice to become involved in a relationship with her, as seen when she precociously tells her Doctor, "Don't you find me sexually attractive?", and he is momentarily befuddled as to how to respond. She's physically attractive and sexually arousing, but her wackiness is too much to handle. In the back of one's mind would be the warning that she might kill you later.

There are other performances that are above average as well, and some twists to the story that I won't give away here, but overall this is Camilla's film.

Trust me, it hurt to give the lowest possible rating to "Keep My Grave Open", but I didn't really have a choice. The plot is so uninteresting, the production values so poor, and the acting & directing so amateurish that the film honestly isn't worth viewing. Normally, though, I have quite a high tolerance-level for cheap B-movie trash from the 70s, and especially if they are directed by S. F. Brownrigg. He previously made the more than enjoyable "Don't Look in the Basement" and "Don't Open the Door", but here he really messed things up.

The whole concept revolves around whether or not the female protagonist's brother Kevin is real or imaginary. I don't care, either way! She - Lesley - lives in an isolated farmhouse and constantly yells at her brother, but he never comes down the stairs. Maybe because he doesn't exist? Or maybe because he's too busy slicing up people with a sword. Or is Lesley doing that herself? Again, who cares! Despite the short running time (little under 80 minutes), watching "Keep My Grave Open" felt as long and as dull as sitting through the entire "Lords of the Rings" franchise, including all the hobbit spin-offs.

Naturally, I wasn't expecting anything more than a trashy seventies B-movie from Keep My Grave Open, but I was also hoping it would be a fun watch, and unfortunately; this S.F. Brownrigg film doesn't deliver on that. When reading the plot description, I was expecting the film to be something like Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, but actually; it doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. The plot focuses on Lesley Fontaine, a crazy woman who lives in a house, supposedly with her brother Kevin. However, Kevin doesn't actually exist; and Lesley is dressing up as him and then murdering people. The main problem with this film is the fact that it's BORING. Keep My Grave Open bumbles along at a slow pace and only really captured my imagination during one scene; and that's not very good going for an eighty minute movie. There's a fair amount of sleaze, as you would expect from the director of the Video Nasty 'Don't Look in the Basement', and the low budget makes for a gritty atmosphere; but these things come to nothing when the film is such a non-event. Not even a performance from a young Stephen Tobolowsky can save this one. Skip it!

Lesley Fontaine has a brother/lover named Kevin. Kevin has never been seen by anyone but Lesley. Is Kevin real, a ghost or just a figment of Lesley's imagination? Lesley definitely has "problems" - she goes into rages and seems to be looking for Kevin quite often.

The film is mildly entertaining, it's not a good film by any means but there is an "OK" story to follow so it's not all that bad. This is the type of film that could have been a really good horror film if more money was pumped into making it. The film has potential so it was easy for me to like in a way.

This is a movie horror fans can easily pass by because they aren't really missing anything by not watching it but it is watchable for certain viewers.

3/10

More Texas based madness from SF Brownrigg! This one involves Leslie, a woman who lives with her brother Kevin (or does she?) in a remote ranch. After a hobo is carved up with a sword, we learn a bit more about Leslie. She's just recently spent time in a mental hospital, she's extremely unbalanced, and she doesn't like strangers on her property. She does have a ranch hand who comes out to feed her horses, but when his girlfriend turns up, someone takes offence and carves her up too. But is it Leslie that's doing the killing, or Kevin? Can Leslie's doctor find out what's going on before more people end up dead?

This is a slow moving film that involves a lot of scenes of Leslie generally acting crazy and wandering around the house shouting for her brother (there's implied incest here too). It's a film that could only be made in the seventies I'd guess, and although low budget and slow, it's still suspenseful and doesn't quite end up the way you would think. The ending was a slight head scratcher however. Another good one from the director of Don't Look in the Basement.

Out of the quartet of S.F. Brownrigg shockers (also including "Don't Look in the Basement!", "Don't Open the Door", & "Scum of the Earth"), this is the worst. That doesn't mean it's bad, it just doesn't measure up to the others that I've seen ("Basement" and "Scum").

Camilla Carr once again steals the show as Leslie Fontaine, a mentally unbalanced woman who lives alone in an isolated mansion with her brother/lover Kevin. A series of murders occur committed by someone wearing a horseriding suit and wielding a sword. Along for the ride are other Brownigg regulars Jessie Lee Fulton (a bit part here, but who was killed by Carr in "Basement"), Gene Ross (who appeared in all 4 Brownrigg shockers; this is his worst role as a spectacled psychiatrist), Ann Stafford (a step down from her performance in "Scum", but still likable and cute), and Anne MacAdams (a cameo in a pink wig as a brothel madam).

Brownrigg's technique has bettered since "Scum of the Earth", made 5 years earlier. The use of the camera and lighting has improved a great deal, the music is great (as usual in a Brownrigg film), and the acting is all well-done! Newcomers who make an impression include Stephen Toblowsky as the lad who takes care of Carr's horses and Sharon Bunn as Twinkle the prostitute. While this could never top Brownrigg's two previous films in a million years, it still manages to pack a few punches in 78 minutes. A few scenes to watch for: the stalking of Ann Stafford after she is locked in a cabin, including the dragging of a sword along the siding of the house and pushing a sword through a crack in the door; the twist in the storyline that results in a gory death in a bathroom; and the chase after Twinkle, culminating in her hiding in an antique car filled with the killer's victims! Brownrigg has yet to disappoint me with any of his films and I recommend this to those with patience (this movie is not fast-paced) and an appreciation for "less is better" (budget, that is).

Brownrigg has a small but loyal group of fans (here, here!), and this film is one of the reasons why. Low budget doesn't have to mean low quality, and KEEP MY GRAVE OPEN incorporates all of Brownie's favorite elements: beautiful female leads, insanity, and atmosphere to burn. The lead in question is Camilla Carr, a gorgeous redhead who had been a quasi-regular in Brownie's stock company of versatile actors (she played a doll-toting crazy in DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT). There's a sense of isolation--or maybe more correctly, desolation--that plays from the opening scene all the way through the film. Gloomy interiors and shots of lonely Texas two-lanes reinforce this. Occasionally the film drifts into soap opera territory, as when Carr's character gives a length exposition describing her past traumas, but it's by and large a study of grief, abandonment, and madness. And the ending still has me scratching my head! Oh well, them's the grits!

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel particularly good about referring to the final chapter in S. F. Brownrigg's Texas Quadrilogy as lousy, but I've been watching B-cinema for a long, long time, so I know lousy when I see it. With that said, there is something about this one that draws you in. Something like a captivatingly somber score, mixed with some incredible rural scenery. The dialog is more of an after thought. Or probably not even a thought at all. Camilla Carr stars as Leslie Fontaine. A woman who has let sadness and anger suck her into a world of insanity. Leslie lives in an isolated mansion with her brother, who she is in love/obsessed with. That's right, incest-horror. Anyone who enters the house ends up dead. That is pretty much it. Slow-moving, and dreary. This one will indeed take some patience. So, score and scenery. Is that seriously the only positive thing going on with The House Where Hell Froze Over? Yeah, that pretty much covers it, but at least it's got that, which is a lot more than some Z-grade atrocities have to offer. But is that enough to enjoy it? Possibly. If you have a threshold for slow-moving schlock, that you can activate at will, because you will certainly need it. Some might not approve of the current release by Substance. I think it brings out the grungy, grainy sleaziness quite nicely. If you've seen Don't Look In The Basement or Scum Of The Earth, then you know how awesome Brownrigg's films could be. This one is nowhere in the league of those, but definitely worth a look if you're a fan of his, and aren't offended by movies that pretty much revolve around incest, among other forms of insane tomfoolery.. At the very least, I would recommend The House Where Hell froze over over Brownrigg's third entry, Don't Open The Door. So, I suppose this one isn't all that bad, after all. Or at least it's not unwatchable. What the hell do I know? You'll probably hate this lousy flick, no matter what.

KEEP MY GRAVE OPEN is another horror film from Director S.F. Brownrigg. It opens with a hitchhiker (Bill Thurman) wandering into the stately home of Lesley Fontaine (Camilla Carr), only to pay the ultimate price for his intrusion.

Lesley supposedly lives in her estate with her reclusive brother / "husband", Kevin. It's apparent early on that Lesley just might have some serious mental issues. As the gruesome murders continue, Dr. Emerson (Gene Ross) seems quite concerned.

Ms. Carr is pretty good in her nutty role, spending much of her time walking around her house, looking afar off. One bizarre, solo "bed scene" is both unsettling and hilarious! As with most Brownrigg productions, KMGO tends to drag on in places, making it feel hours longer than it actually is. Still, it's not unwatchable, and perfect for a retro drive-in movie night...

In this heartwarming family film, a strange incestuous lady runs amok killing folks with her sword (Freud would have loved this film). First she kills a hobo but then proceeds to kill darn near everyone she meets. Then, she gyrates about in the most unsexy sex scene in movie history.

Unless your idea of a great film is some psychotic woman murdering people right and left, I think you're better off avoiding "Keep My Grave Open". It's 'murderiffic' but doesn't have any sort of context, back story, decent acting or decent production values...aside from the music. It's clearly an unusual case where the music is really nice...but nothing much about the film speaks quality in any way. Much of this, I am sure, is because the budget appears to be about $45...which is pretty amazing considering how nice the music is.

The title is inappropriate but then it is of little consequence although seemingly Alpha Home Entertainment were misled because they have it paired with Beast of the Yellow night, in a 'Demonic Cannibal Rampage'. Anyway we know pretty much what a Brownrigg cheapie will be like and we are not disappointed. Bit slow to get started and even a rather slow end but somewhere around the middle this becomes decidedly weird and continues in fairly demented fashion for some time with Camilla Carr performing tremendously to keep this baby afloat. Always interesting, occasionally surprising and with a decent soundtrack, this is well worth a watch.

During the beginning of "Keep My Grave Open" a drifter is murdered by sword wielding loon after stealing in a deserted and darkened mansion.The house is owned by Lesley Fontaine who supposedly lives there with her husband or brother Kevin.The problem is that Kevin is never seen by anyone else in southern town.Kevin lives only in a troubled mind of Lesley and the bloody murders continue...S.F Brownrigg's genre swan song is an interesting character study.The performance of Brownrigg's regular Camilla Carr is superb as are her sudden bursts of schizoid rage.She even dons heavy make-up in order to seduce Kevin and masturbates in his presence.The film is filled with an unnerving atmosphere of haunting melancholy and the sword slayings are bloody enough.The pace is deliberately slow,but I did enjoy somber mood of "Keep My Grave Open".8 out of 10.An interesting,unique and mildly rewarding effort from Sherald Brownrigg.

This low budget obscurity might entertain you to stick with it to the end, and although the very low budget hampers it, the director is skilled enough to make a watchable feature out of the (very) raw materials. However, I wouldn't say that Keep My Grave Open is an undiscovered gem, its just better than it could have been. The plot follows a spinsterish woman called Lesley who lives in a remote house with her husband or brother Kevin, who never leaves his room and only Lesley seems to have ever seen him (Ahh – alarm bells!). People who get too close or too nosy about Lesley and Kevin fall foul of a murderer, but who is doing the killing?

Now you won't find this little thriller going too far from the well worn path but it does have a handful of positive features. First of all are the performances, which are on the whole very natural, with particular praise for Camilla Carr in the lead, as she thoroughly convinces as the unhinged Lesley. The film's most memorable sequence (in my opinion) involves Lesley getting dolled up to make an amorous nocturnal visit to Kevin's bedroom and the resulting trippy seduction (?) scene is all down to Camilla Carr's performance in what must have been a pretty difficult scene to shoot (you'll see what I mean). The remainder of the film is kind of predictable what with a few stalking and murdering scenes and general, none of which are outstanding, even though the "sword through the walls" attack is often cited as a suspenseful sequence, it doesn't really work for me as the victim has to be stupid enough to walk all the way around the room and then stand in exactly the right place to allow the killer to conveniently run her through. The effect isn't very good either, and things don't improve a great deal after it.

Sadly the biggest thing working against the film is the cheapness of it all. The lighting can be very poor, sound is tinny, nighttime shots are impossible to see clearly, and the film has a general grainy air. However, as I have said the film is directed and shot with competence and I would be interested to see how well it turned out had SF Brownrigg had more studio backing, as his scenes with people, especially all the scenes involving Lesley, which are well handled and show his skill with many different film-making techniques.

I wouldn't shell out to buy a DVD of this – certainly not the hideous one called "The House Where Hell Froze Over" with it's god-awful cover (the original video release cover is great), but if you happen to pass this film and have the time to watch it, you could have some fun. It even manages a perverse last minute twist ending of sorts that kind of surprised me, which always leaves a good impression.

This poor and obscure production from 1978 is the weird story of a psychotic woman, Lesley Fontaine (Camilla Carr), who isolates herself in a house where no one can ever trespass. Although the "keep out" warning is quite visible on the front gate, some people simply ignore it and end up brutally murdered by the disturbed woman. Dressed like a man (her long lost brother/lover Kevin), Lesley goes on with the gory murders as her personality becomes more and more confused. But who is really Kevin? You almost believe there's no such man, but the final scene manages to confuse you even more. Only for hardcore "B Movie" fans. This one is really schlock...

Denizens of a Southern-U.S. agronomic community are being violently shanked by a sword-brandishing bedlamite. The killer is introduced formally as Lesley, an attractive woman with a history of mental problems who lives in a sprawling antebellum manor with "Kevin", her brother and erotic "idee fixe". There is a surreptitious nature to the Kevin character, as his existence is supported only by reference. He may be either dead or entirely nonexistent, or possibly a spectral alter-ego drawn forth from Lesley's troubled mind, emerging during her repressed libidinous yearnings to wreak the bloody murders she is otherwise incapable of. This mystery only deepens with the film's oblique denouement.

Despite being a lesser entry in the small but celebrated S.F. Brownrigg oeuvre, KEEP MY GRAVE OPEN is by no means a starch or disposable low-budget drive-in quickie. A surprisingly well-acted impecunious project, it manages to loom a mournful and chilling presence of wandering detachment, and occasionally feels like a pauper Polanski film. It does have its share of observable technical deficiencies(though I personally found the cheap visual impurities an enhancement of the occasion), and the music score is strange and often rather extraneous. Still, this is an effectively subdued horror mood piece, and why it's been unable to galvanize the same substantial cult interest as other Brownrigg titles is anyone's guess.

7/10