11 December 2024
House of Death (1981)
88 min.
Directed by David Nelson.
With Susan Kiger, Martin Tucker, William Hicks, Jennifer Chase, Jody Kay, John Kohler, Andrea Savio, Kurt Rector, Josh Gamble.
Enthusiastic, but unfocused slasher.

A rowdy group of small town teen partiers decide to whoop it up at a local carnival...then at a campsite...then at a cemetery...and finally a decrepit old house.

All the while they're followed by a maniacal killer intent on hacking their ranks down, one by one.

A spunky cast of non actors can't save this wayward splatter hopeful; its momentum barrels along haphazardly until the hilariously overwrought body count climax.

An unfortunate misfire though, since the earnest crew seems prepared to give it all she's got (particularly the likable Lily).

But the oh-so-loose script, manic change of locales, and often lackluster kills don't help.

Still, Death can be giggly fun in the right mood.

Best scene: the totally bizarre broad daylight arrow attack/carousel ride/plastic bag suffocation sequence.

Also features a truly brazen score.

Aka Death Screams.

© copyright 1998-present | The Terror Trap; www.terrortrap.com | all rights reserved