Woodyanders Review of Mausoleum

Mausoleum (1983)

An enjoyably schlocky 80's low-budget horror exploitation hoot

[8/10 · 6 November 2008]

Lovely and sweet young Susan Farrell (a respectable performance by deliciously voluptuous blonde bombshell Bobbie Bresee) suffers from an especially nasty family curse: she gets possessed by the spirit of an evil and lethal, yet enticing distaff demonic spirit that takes over the first born daughters of every line in her family. Pretty soon Susan just ain't acting like herself anymore; she starts seducing and murdering various guys. It's up to concerned psychiatrist Dr. Simon Andrews (nicely played by Norman Burton) to save Susan's soul before it's too late. Director Michael Dugan does a sound job of creating and maintaining a flesh-crawling ooga-booga atmosphere, pours on a handy helping of juicy gore (the definite splatter highlight occurs when Susan levitates a guy and sends the man falling to his death from a three story balcony onto a glass table), tosses in several moments of hilariously campy humor, and has the luscious Ms. Bresee bare her insanely hot body at pleasingly regular intervals. The game cast do their best with the rather silly material: the ever-cool Marjoe Gortner as Susan's loving, but busy husband Oliver, Laura Hippe as Susan's worried Aunt Cora Nomed, and Sheri Mann as helpful demonic possession expert Dr. Roni Logan. LaWanda Page (Aunt Esther on "Sanford and Son") provides gut-busting lowbrow comic relief as superstitious black maid Elsie. Maurice Sherbanee likewise amuses as creepy, lecherous Mexican gardener Ben. Robert Barich's polished cinematography makes occasional inspired use of a fluid gliding Steadicam. Jaime Mendoza-Nava's spooky'n'moody score does the shuddery trick. John Carl Buechler comes through with a marvelously grotesque make-up design for the hideously ugly female demon; the foul beast's drooling, fanged, snarling breasts are particularly funky and memorable. Granted, this flick certainly isn't a subtle and sophisticated work of cinematic art, but it does overall pass muster as a highly entertaining piece of cheerfully cheesy trash.