Three girls on the way to a concert crash their car in a rainstorm on a desolate country road. They wake up in the house of a very homely but apparently kindly young spinster. At dinner they meet her invalid mother who has a pathological hatred of men (after her late husband was caught molesting a young girl) and is convinced that her daughter is secretly carrying on under her nose with various men in the deserted house. The old lady seems crazy, but the guests soon realize that there does seem to be a strange man lurking around. . .
Ironically, this movie has become well-known because it was once considered a "video nasty" and banned for many years in Britain even though it has only three (admittedly very violent) killings, which has to be some kind of record for these type of films. It is actually one of the few post-"Friday the 13th" slasher movies that is more interested in creating an eerie atmosphere and truly intriguing mystery than in racking up a high body count of hapless teenagers. It is also sometimes compared to the original "Sleepaway Camp" (which I personally consider the nadir of the slasher flick if not the horror genre and cinema in general) largely on the basis of its similar ending. But where the "surprise" ending in "Sleepaway Camp" comes out of nowhere, the ending here fits in perfectly with the creepy plot. And where the ending in "Sleepaway Camp" was a blatant cheat created by ludicrous special effects (the naked body of an older man pasted onto what is obviously a barely pubescent teenage girl)this movie will genuinely fool you.
It is admittedly a pretty amateurish film. The acting is awful, especially the actresses playing the stranded teens (but they stop and take a shower every half hour or so, so you kind of forgive them). And its low budget in a way adds to its spunky indie charm. At any rate, it's miles above "Sleepaway Camp" or many of its fellow 80's slashers ("Bloody Moon", "The Dorm that Dripped Blood") that are famous now for no other reason than having once been banned in Britain. Definitely check it out.
Ironically, this movie has become well-known because it was once considered a "video nasty" and banned for many years in Britain even though it has only three (admittedly very violent) killings, which has to be some kind of record for these type of films. It is actually one of the few post-"Friday the 13th" slasher movies that is more interested in creating an eerie atmosphere and truly intriguing mystery than in racking up a high body count of hapless teenagers. It is also sometimes compared to the original "Sleepaway Camp" (which I personally consider the nadir of the slasher flick if not the horror genre and cinema in general) largely on the basis of its similar ending. But where the "surprise" ending in "Sleepaway Camp" comes out of nowhere, the ending here fits in perfectly with the creepy plot. And where the ending in "Sleepaway Camp" was a blatant cheat created by ludicrous special effects (the naked body of an older man pasted onto what is obviously a barely pubescent teenage girl)this movie will genuinely fool you.
It is admittedly a pretty amateurish film. The acting is awful, especially the actresses playing the stranded teens (but they stop and take a shower every half hour or so, so you kind of forgive them). And its low budget in a way adds to its spunky indie charm. At any rate, it's miles above "Sleepaway Camp" or many of its fellow 80's slashers ("Bloody Moon", "The Dorm that Dripped Blood") that are famous now for no other reason than having once been banned in Britain. Definitely check it out.