Frightmare

Director Peter Walker's and screenwriter David McGillivray's shining hour, the British contribution to the "all families are bad" horror genre.

Walker's technique, handled quite well, is that he knows the audience comes to a horror film for jolts and unpleasantness. The audience waits in rapt attention -- bang, wallop, and it really is jolting and unpleasant.

Many things are addressed in this film: neglect of the old, the callousness of the young, and how in the end the acorn never, ever falls too far from the tree. This is the Pete Walker film to see.

Pete Walker's 'Frightmare' is a gloriously gory mix of psychopathic and cannibalistic killings and pretty English cottages, all topped with all those naff '70's fashions, haircuts and British cars.

Walker regular Sheila Keith is the woman sent to an asylum fifteen years ago, along with her abetting husband. He's helpless when her cravings come back and assumed cured, she now reads tarot cards. Their daughter gets romantically involved with a young psychiatrist and when her younger, adopted sister starts going off the rails, the young doctor naturally wants to help.

She's actually helping find feeding matter - and their brains - for her step mother. And step mother uses an array of everyday tools and appliances to get to her subjects' juicy bits. Electric drills, pitchforks, you name it. There's plenty of reasonable looking blood at the right times and some great make up effects of everyday folk with half their heads missing.

Now, nearly forty years on it's more a chiller than a screamer but very effective nonetheless and certainly one of the better Brit horror flicks I've seen. I saw it on The Horror channel.

This is one of Pete Walker's very best films and his most frightening. Sheila Keith is brilliant in this movie as a cannibalistic woman with an insatiable appetite. It seems that this woman is also psychic and she uses this gift to lure her victims in. The interesting thing about the way this movie is filmed is the fact that there is extreme violence in it but it is mostly implied violence. The viewer THINKS they have seen something very graphic but in actuality you mostly see the aftermath. You do not see the murderer actually driving a drill into her victim's skull nor do you actually see the red-hot fire poker actually impale the intended victim but with the music, sound effects and facial reactions of Keith the viewer tends to believe that they did see these things...this is the genius behind "Frightmare". Also, on a side note, there is a much more inferior movie out there under the same title that was actually released a few years after this movie was. As a result, when this was first released on video it was released as "Frightmare part 2" in order to reduce confusion even though this film came first and is far more superior.

Excellent thriller/horror that could only have come out of Britain. What a terrible shame the impact of these mid seventies films was such that they were seemingly shown the door by our reactionary press barons. Exploitation, yes, but also touching on real issues surrounding family and 'insanity' as well as reflecting upon the times. We are thrust into a murky degenerate fantasy but all the time reminded that this is 'true'and that we cannot trust our sisters, mothers or even fathers. Central performances are fine but there are a couple of bit parts letting the side down and losing this it's other star. Nevertheless, a real surprise and a genuine horror.

It deals a psychopatic mum and her husband who have been locked at a mental institution for crimes they have previously committed . After long years, the vicious couple : Sheila Keith , Rupert Davies are freed , living at an easy and isolated farm . But then things go wrong , going on a criminal spree .If you like this , have you brain examined ! ..more than a bad dream ! World than you most shocking nightmare ! Daré you see the film that shocked the critics ? Far beyond a nightmare . What terrifying craving made her kill ... and kill..and kill...

Scary terror movie with disturbing chills , eerie intrigue , twisted suspense and violent events with gory scenes . It is far better written and played than you might expect , if the first part with two daughters living apart from them results to be slow-moving as well as boring, lacking exposition, but when appears the creepy marriage : Sheila Keith and Rupert Davis things get better . It packs a simple and basic formula , with neither deep exploration of characters , no analysis of environment or circumstances , but massacres without much sense. With "Frightmare" following on "House of Whipcord" , David McGillivray's scriptwriting is undoubtedly having a marked effect on Peter Walker's pictures . Main and support cast provide decent interpretations . Sheila Keith gives a nice acting as the ruthless mom who has the scary habit of going after victims with a drill or knife before devouring them raw , while Rupert Davies is fine as her faithfully hubby .

This gory picture was professionally directed by Peter Walker . He was an expert on Terror movies , though he also made other genres and TV series . As Peter Walter directed the following ones : " House of the long shadows , Home before Midnight , The Comeback , Schizo , House of Mortal Sin, House of Whipcord , Frightmare , Tiffany Jones" . Most his films used to settle for routine or run-of-the-mill storylines, however , nowadays teem with demonic life and made in exploitation style . Peter Waker's "Nightmare" filmmaking is on another level , altogether from " Cool it Carol ¡" or "The Flesh and Blood Show" . Rating : 6/10 . Acceptable and passable though it tends to leave a highly unpleasant aftertaste .