Terror at Red Wolf Inn

The first time I saw ANY footage of this film was when I was looking through junk reels of 35mm film. There were only two reels of it, but I figured with a title like "Terror at Red Wolf Inn", it had to be worth sampling. At 40 minutes, the film ran out through the projector and I was hooked. It was almost an entire year before I tracked down a copy of this film on video.

This film has a great nutty charm that, if you're not careful, you may take too seriously. It involves a lonely girl who gets a letter saying she's won a vacation to the titular resort. All of the arrangements are laid out for her, down to a private plane to fly her there. Upon arriving, she meets the inhabitants of the Inn. There's an old couple, their semi-retarded grandson and two cute fellow guests. They're treated to three hearty squares a day and incredibly bizarre parties. The girls are encouraged to eat and eat, but they're not allowed to help serve the food or enter the always locked walk in cooler...

The film is a black comedy with a lot of style. It's extremely easy to see where the film is headed (I caught it in the first reel), but I don't think that's supposed to be an extremely clever plot twist, just a framework to let know-it-all horror fans revel in their superiority. Thing is, once the average horror film viewer thinks he/she knows what's coming, THAT'S when the rug is pulled out from under them. I could never quite guess exactly what was going to happen. The film alludes to things constantly while delivering plot points that don't turn out exactly as one may think they would.

The acting is great and the cast seems to be having a lot of fun in their roles, especially Linda Gillin, who nails her character fabulously as a lonely college girl eager to make friends and find romance.

The scenes to watch out for are the screamingly funny "shark" scene, the abduction of the character of Edwina, which uses a music box lullaby to an extremely creepy extent and the climax/punchline of the film, a denouement that, while totally implausible, is quite unexpected.

It's funny that no one talks about this film much considering how much "Motel Hell" has ripped it off. Worth finding and savoring.

Last note, take special attention to the end credits. They compliment the film to a "T"!

Brad Pitt look-alike John Neilson plays Baby John, the twenty-something grandson of elderly couple Evelyn (Jackson) and Henry (Space) who run a quaint seaside bed & breakfast sinisterly named the "Red Wolf Inn" where the menu is expansive in both volume and origin. Baby John takes a liking to one of the three nubile young house guests invited to holiday at the inn after supposedly winning a competition. Mysteriously, two of the girls disappear without saying goodbye leading the third (Gillen) to suspect that the overly gracious hospitality is not all as it seems.

Director Townsend has fashioned a reasonably taut thriller with a capable cast led by newcomer Gillen, as the perky yet naive college student duped into the darkest depravities of a twisted old couple and their behaviourally immature grandson. Jackson and Space manage their quirky characterisations with seasoned professionalism, Neilson is a twisted yet somewhat sympathetic man-child, and the supporting cast including Margaret Avery and Michael MacReady add familiarity, but it's Gillen's engaging personality that is the real surprise package.

While no longer an original concept, and not quite a masterpiece, in 1972 it was a pioneering concept, well handled with enough drama, humour, horror and realism to punch above its relative bantam weight. My only gripe is with the farcical conclusion, by which I felt somewhat cheated; despite the curious ending, it's not a comedy, which more than a few chilling moments will attest, and entertain.

This is an off-beat horror film produced by Michael Macready(he produced the two Count Yorga films) and directed by Bud Townsend. It stars Linda Gillen as a young college girl going off for a free vacation to an old-fashioned resort on the beach. It turns out to be not much of a resort with only two other attractive female guests(Pamela and Edwina), Baby John, Uncle Henry, and Aunt Evelyn. The owners, it seems, like to butcher the young girls for their food and prepare them in fantastic culinary dishes. Prior to each girl's departure(their supposed last night at the resort), Aunt Evie and Uncle Henry throw a party and a gourmet meal. Regina(Gillen) catches on and the film moves into some chase scenes and bizarre humour. I found this film to be very suspenseful, tense, and chilling. Many reviewers seem to label it as a comedy-horror film, but there really is not a whole lot of humour other than that of a very underlying subtle kind. The most haunting aspect of the film has to be the performances of Mary Jackson(of Walton's fame) and Arthur Space as the kindly-looking couple that run the inn. They really seem so very nice and normal in many regards, but there is always an underlying sense of something not quite right. This is first evident in a scene which has to be one of the most orgiastic food scenes ever filmed as all the guests and hosts eat a crowned rib roast on Regina's first night at the inn celebrating Pamela's departure. The way all of them attack the food with wild abandon and seem to be lost in pure ecstasy is amazing and horrifying at the same time. Another scene with the somewhat mentally-challenged Baby John catching a shark in the surf and then beating it against a rock is a well-shot scene. Still another wonderful scene is when Edwina's night has come and you see the three hotel folks, dressed in butcher smocks, travel upstairs as a lullaby plays. Quite effective and innovative camerawork here. The film is not particularly gory. It plays things pretty straight until the end, which is really not simpatico with the rest of the film. The end seems a bit rushed and forced, and there is even an attempt at some much broader comedy. It doesn't really work, yet the film as a whole is a very chilling...even disturbing about the nature of madness and trust.

Welcome to the Red Wolf Inn, where men are men and women are well-marbled!

If the cook at the Red Wolf tells patrons to eat more, it's only to make them bigger. And if the men at the Red Wolf ogle the attractive female guests, it's only to determine how much ham and rump roast they can get from their shapely haunches.

Healthy, young women are singled out and invited to the resort, where they are fattened (unknowingly) on the meat of previous guests. When they reach sufficient beefiness, they are harvested by the owners of the inn and served up to the current crop of guests. The unwary diners find the long pig most delicious, but with every bite, they're sealing their own fate.

Regina, the heroine of the story, is one of the guests at the inn. Will she end up like the others? Watch this weird, wacky movie and find out. Oh, and while you're at the Red Wolf, don't forget to try the drumsticks...they're fantastic!

"A college student returns to her dorm room after class and discovers she is the winner of an all-expense paid vacation to the Red Wolf Inn. Before she can share her good fortune with her parents, she and two other girls are whisked away to begin their vacation of a lifetime. When one of the guests suddenly disappears, the young woman doesn't believe the explanation the old couple who run the inn gives her concerning the strange goings on at the Red Wolf," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.

Offering a delicious slice of low-budget horror cheese; director Bud Townsend and writer Allen Actor, along with a wonderful cast, should absolutely exceed your expectations. There are some flaws, and unanswered questions -- like, what happened to Myrtle? -- but, "Terror House" is too fun to pass up.

Linda Gillen (as Regina McKee) plays a sweet, adorable lead character; and, doesn't she have a great arrangement of The Beatles' "White Album" photos on her dorm wall? John Neilson (as "Baby" John Smith) is just as adorable, albeit touched; love him licking his finger after going for the bottle of after dinner brandy. It's a wonder neither Ms. Gillen nor Mr. Neilson became better known; they certainly had the hair to succeed through the 1980s.

Players in tasty supporting roles include overeating Margaret Avery (as Edwina), hortophile Arthur Space (as Henry), and well-read Janet Wood (as Pamela). But, the best of all may be marvelous "Grandma" Mary Jackson (as Evelyn Smith); her performance definitely is one to savor. Like Ms. Jackson says, "Don't be a party pooper!" Mind your "Grandma", and give yourself a big helping of "Terror House".

****** Terror House (1972) Bud Townsend ~ Linda Gillen, John Neilson, Mary Jackson