The House Where Evil Dwells (1982) review

 

 

THE HOUSE WHERE EVIL DWELLS 1982

 

Eddie Albert (Ted Fletcher), Susan George (Laura Fletcher), Doug McClure (Alex Curtis), Amy Barrett (Amy Fletcher), Mako Hattori (Otami), Toshiyuki Sasaki (Shigero), Toshiya Maruyama (Masanori), Tsuyako Okajima (Mayjo Witch), Henry Mittwer (Zen Monk)

 

Directed by Kevin Connor 

The Short Version: THE HOUSE WHERE EVIL DWELLS (1982) is a curious blend of old-fashioned Japanese ghost story with modern day sex and violence. Slashers were bigger business than haunted house pictures, so a movie with paranormal elements of a Japanese nature turned out to be a hard sell for audiences. In a way, HOUSE was ahead of its time since modern Japanese horror became popular in America in the early 2000s. Elements of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (1979), Japanese folklore, samurai's and severed limbs DWELL within this HOUSE.

A writer and his family move into a 200 year-old house in Kyoto, Japan. Told beforehand the isolated country home has a reputation for being haunted, they move in anyway. It isn't long before the angry spirits that died there over a hundred years earlier--a samurai, his unfaithful wife and her lover--return to terrorize and possess the new occupants to recreate the horrific crime all over again.

 

Director Kevin Connor (you can read our expansive interview with Mr. Connor--including the making of this film--HERE) is once more reunited with Doug McClure; only here, McClure isn't stranded in some lost world populated by monsters, but one of a trio of characters possessed by vengeful Japanese spirits in Kyoto. Edward Albert and Susan George are the husband and wife who move to Japan and find themselves the victims of a 140 year old curse lurking in the house they've just purchased. 

 

Slasher movies were in vogue at the time, while haunted house pictures held a smaller share of the horror market. Martial arts movies were likewise fashionable and Connor's movie contains slivers of that genre as well. It's an international mishmash of elements that the producers were possibly hoping-if nothing else--that audiences would latch on to the Oriental mystique of it all.

 

 

Based on a reportedly unpublished novel titled 'Where Evil Dwells'  by James Hardiman (James William Edward Hardiman), the film adaptation had been in the planning stages as early as 1978, according to old magazine articles. Hardiman was a former merchant seaman who later became the Vice President of the Rank Organization. Upon his arrival in Hollywood in 1956, he would hold executive jobs at companies like Walt Disney Productions, CBS and Columbia. The author of 13 published works, his unpublished 'Where Evil Dwells' was written for the screen by his former partner, Robert Suhosky.

 

When filming finally began, it was a co-production between UA and Toei of Japan. The main problem with the movie is you know how it's going to end very early on; there's few surprises along the way, although one left-fielder is a nighttime attack by the male ghosts in the form of two enormous spider crabs!

 

 

Having photographed New World's GALAXY OF TERROR (1981) the previous year, Jacques Haitkin's subtle camera snaps some foreboding shots of the title abode from a variety of angles--giving the viewer a look at the surrounding countryside and blowing reeds. There are also some welcome aerial shots of Kyoto's rural areas. Haitkin would go on to be Wes Craven's DP on A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984); and other genre pictures like THE HIDDEN (1987) and SCANNER COP (1994).

The cast inhabiting THE HOUSE WHERE EVIL DWELLS is great, but appeal is likely best appreciated by the Drive-in crowd. Acting is fine across the board, just there's little else to chew on aside from the escalating horror leading to the predictable finale. 

 

As escapist horror, HOUSE works well enough so long as you don't expect too much on the exposition front. As is, it's not nearly as lovingly mounted, meticulously directed as his first movie FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE (1974); nor as memorable as the massive cult favorite MOTEL HELL (1980).

 

For example, the infidelity angle isn't explored much beyond the fact the audience is aware the apparitions intend to recreate the same night of murder and mayhem so that the souls of their victims take their place. Other than a few facial expressions of "what's happening to me?", McClure and Susan George's characters never vocalize their bodies being invaded, they just get on with it.

Director Connor's original cut of the movie was much different from the theatrical release; resulting in his displeasure that audiences didn't get to see his intended vision.

 

Edward Albert alternated between movies and television and did lots of low budget action and horror. The son of Eddie Albert of GREEN ACRES (1965-1971) fame, Albert Junior made an impression early on starring opposite Goldie Hawn in 1972s BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE. He won a Golden Globe for his role as a blind man but was unable to capitalize on his breakout status. For a while, Albert was romantically involved with Kate Jackson of CHARLIE'S ANGELS (1976-1981). He was a good actor relegated to smaller, but no less entertaining productions. 

 

Among his credits was Irwin Allen's goofy WHEN TIME RAN OUT (1980) and the lead heroic role in New World's exploitation favorite GALAXY OF TERROR (1981). Then there's ELLIE, the 1984 comedy-revenge flick co-starring Penthouse Pet Sheila Kennedy and Award-winning actress Shelly Winters. GETTING EVEN (1986) saw Albert in action hero mode taking on a villainous Joe Don Baker. Sadly, Edward Albert died from lung cancer at only 55 years of age. 

 

Doug McClure was a childhood favorite and affectionately referred to around these parts as "The King of the Monster Movies". Most famous for playing Trampas on the 90-minute western TV series THE VIRGINIAN (1962-1971), Doug did lots of action and adventure films like SHENANDOAH (1965) and THE KING'S PIRATE (1967). 

 

It was his four lost world movies for Kevin Connor that really made him a superstar with kids; those being THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (1975), AT THE EARTH'S CORE (1976), THE PEOPLE THAT TIME FORGOT (1977), and WARLORDS OF ATLANTIS (1978). 

 

By the 1980s, McClure's star was fading, but some leads came like the exploitation classic HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP (1980) and an obscure but prescient movie called FIREBIRD 2015 AD (1981) about the US government banning gas-powered vehicles. 

 

Unfortunately, and in a similar fate that met Edward Albert, Doug McClure would die from lung cancer at the young age of 59.

British actress Susan George is Edward Albert's wife who becomes increasingly disenchanted with their new haunted home. An underrated actress, she was quite good at doing emotional outbursts in pivotal moments of a character at the breaking point. 

 

 

She held her own in a movie about a babysitter stalked by a killer escaped from an insane asylum called FRIGHT (1971); and menaced and raped by thugs in STRAW DOGS (1971). She was DIRTY MARRY to Peter Fonda's CRAZY LARRY (1974) and a troubled and abused housewife in the big budget exploitation of MANDINGO (1975). A SMALL TOWN IN TEXAS (1976) was a riveting thriller with Susan in distraught housewife mode again, and of course there's the ludicrousness of ENTER THE NINJA (1981) where she acted in the same capacity with Franco Nero battling Christopher George and Sho Kosugi. Her acting career wound down by the mid-80s, married actor Simon MacCorkindale and raised horses.

 

 

As for director Kevin Connor, he moved on to much bigger topics in a smaller medium--the television mini-series. He would work with numerous big name actors and actresses in such popular and top-rated mini-series' and TV-movies like MASTER OF THE GAME (1984), NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II (1986), GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1989), LIZ: THE ELIZABETH TAYLOR STORY (1995), MOTHER TERESA: IN THE NAME OF GOD'S POOR (1997), FRANKENSTEIN (2004), and BLACKBEARD (2006). 

 

In one way, Kevin Connor's haunted house movie was ahead of its time. Twenty years later, American companies would be remaking blockbuster Japanese horror hits in a similar vein. Connor's 1982 spooker is serviceable horror told in an old-fashioned way that delivers a handful of creepy moments. If you're a fan of Japanese horror in the mold of GHOST OF YOTSUYA (1959) or even KWAIDAN (1964), you'll likely find something to hold your attention hidden within the walls of this HOUSE.

This review is representative of the Scream Factory blu-ray double feature paired with GHOST WARRIOR (1986). Specs and extras:  01:28:06

Mausoleum (1983) review

 

MAUSOLEUM 1983

Marjoe Gortner (Oliver Farrell), Bobbie Bresee (Susan Walker Farrell), Norman Burton (Dr. Simon Andrews), Maurice Sherbanee (Ben), LaWanda Page (Elsie), Laura Hippe (Aunt Cora Nomed), Sheri Mann (Dr. Roni Logan)

The Short Version: Bobbie Bresee's first major acting gig is a ridiculous B horror-gore flick that has her either wearing little clothing or lots of monster makeup. She's the film's best attribute aside from the monster suit with the masticating mammaries. The 'barely-there'  plot plays second-banana to John Carl Buechler's rubber appliances and splatter FX. Then there's former child-evangelist Marjoe Gortner and LaWanda Page of SANFORD AND SON fame as added incentive for this production-plagued picture. If it weren't for the snapping demon breasts, MAUSOLEUM would likely have stayed dead and buried. 

 

A familial curse possesses the first born daughters of the Nomed (demon spelled backwards) lineage when an ancient demonic force is released from the family mausoleum. Haunted from when she was a little girl, Susan Farrell undergoes a literal transformation that leaves a trail of corpses till the demon is sent back to Hell.

Low on plot but high on makeup FX, MAUSOLEUM (1983) dangles precariously from the lower rung of the demonic possession sub-genre. It's not as brutally grim as THE INCUBUS (1981), nor as garishly over the top as AMITYVILLE 2: THE POSSESSION (1982) and nowhere near as well made as either of those two. 

 

 

MAUSOLEUM is closer in style to similar, middle-tier genre fare like EVILSPEAK (1981) and SUPERSTITION (1982) in that spectacularly creative sleaze makes for a memorable experience. It doesn't make much sense (what the hell is going on in the inexplicably confusing final scene?!), but this cheap tale of a devil-cursed sepulcher manages to hold your attention due to a surprisingly spunky performance by Bobbie Bresee; along with a horde of splatter effects and rubber monster transformations.

 

 

Feeling more like an Italian horror movie than an American one, MAUSOLEUM's cryptic script is as threadbare as Ms. Bresee's clothing. Aside from the aforementioned, and numerous rubber creature effects and splattery gore from the late John Carl Buechler, there's little else holding it together. In its defense, MAUSOLEUM's cumbersomeness was possibly due in part to its troubled production history.

 

 

According to articles at the time, the original story was written by Katherine Rosenwink, an author who would later work on some episodes of the hit TV series ALICE (1976-1985). The rights to Ms. Rosenwink's story ended up in the hands of a man named Morton Green. Reportedly, Mr. Green signed a contract giving the rights to producers Jerry Zimmerman and Robert Barich in exchange for the opportunity to direct the movie himself for a salary of $60,000. Shortly after filming began in late February 1981, Green was let go. He subsequently sued the two men for breach of contract and civil fraud. On top of that, both Zimmerman and Barich were arrested, along with others, for separate crimes involving grand theft and conspiracy to cheat and defraud. 

 

 

Yet another lawsuit surfaced after the film was finally released in the summer of 1983 from Michael Zide over non-payment of a $30,000 loan to Zimmerman's and Barich's production company Western International Pictures in July of 1982. Zide was acting as a representative for them through his Producers Service of Woodland Hills and was reportedly contracted to receive percentages of the theater rental profits and monies received by Western International Pictures. The various suits ran up into the millions and included other companies as defendants like the film's distributor Motion Picture Marketing. All this trouble over a movie that likely only cost a few hundred-thousand dollars. It's amazing the picture saw completion.

 

At some point Barich was out and Michael Franzese, then a mob boss for the Colombo crime family, became co-executive producer along with Jerry Zimmerman. Franzese would later serve in the capacity as a producer on the revenge film favorite SAVAGE STREETS (1984). MAUSOLEUM would be the only motion picture credits known for both Zimmerman and Barich. Moreover, Barich is also credited as a co-writer and the film's cinematographer. Actually, the photography is one of the film's few attributes, with a number of sequences possessing a Bava-esque visual style.

Making this story even more peculiar, according to Buechler on the DVD/Blu-ray, Michael Dugan (also a DP) wasn't actually the director calling the shots, but Robert Barich. Dugan had earlier helmed the Sea World set kiddie flick, SUPER SEAL (1976) starring Sterling Holloway (the voice of Winnie the Pooh).

 

 

Previously a music teacher and Playboy Bunny before becoming an actress, MAUSOLEUM was Bobbie Bresee's first theatrical feature. Prior to this she had small roles in several TV shows before being handed the lead role in her horror debut where she goes above and beyond the flimsy material she had to work with. It's an exploitation movie after all, so most aren't looking for technical achievements; only cheap thrills and MAUSOLEUM has an abundance of them. 

 

Despite what some reviews may say, Bresee delivers a surprisingly effective performance playing the happy homemaker suffering from a case of demonic possession. She throws herself into the part and frequently throws off her clothes, too. 

 

Drawing comparisons to THE EXORCIST (1973) isn't out of the question since MAUSOLEUM takes some cues from the 1973 trendsetter. Instead of a bed-ridden Linda Blair spouting obscenities and slowly succumbing to the Devil inside, Bresee goes into hellspawn mode whenever angered or seducing gardeners and grocery delivery boys.

 

Bresee owns the movie that, in all likelihood, would be nearly unwatchable without her. The actress takes the material very seriously, even though the movie is unmistakably stupid throughout. When she kills the gardener, for example, she fully transforms into the monster for the first time. But instead of simply clawing her victim to death, she offs him with a small garden rake instead. Bresee appeared in a few other horror pictures but unfortunately, she never attained major Scream Queen status. 

 

 

Her co-star, the usually reliable Marjoe Gortner, just seems to have taken the job to collect a paycheck. A former evangelist, Gortner is subdued compared to some of his other film work. His rowdy lead role in the little seen WHEN YOU COMING BACK, RED RYDER? (1979) is one of the most quotable movies ever made. He played the energetic hero in AIPs FOOD OF THE GODS (1976) and Lynda Carter's crazed criminal boyfriend in BOBBIE JO AND THE OUTLAW (1976). This role doesn't require he deliver a manic performance, he just doesn't seem to have his heart in this one.

 

 

LaWanda Page, Aunt Esther from the hit comedy series SANFORD AND SON (1972-1977),  plays the housekeeper. She's in a handful of scenes and, if you're already familiar with her classic SANFORD AND SON character, the entertainment factor in MAUSOLEUM goes up a few notches. A world-traveled dancer and comedienne, her comedy style was hilarious if filthily funny. If you're only familiar with her as Aunt Esther, you should check out her comedy routines.

 

Highly publicized at the time in all your finer horror periodicals for the demon-breasted monster suit, Buechler's work is just as rubbery looking as other movies he worked on; the GHOULIES series and TROLL (1986) being two of the most popular. Some of his best work appeared in movies like RE-ANIMATOR (1985), FROM BEYOND (1986) and DOLLS (1987), all for director Stuart Gordon. He directed a number of features, including the near bloodless FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 7: THE NEW BLOOD (1988); a tired sequel but one that had the best Jason makeup of the entire series. Sadly, Buechler died March 18th, 2019 aged 66.

 

The occasional atmospheric set-piece and colorful photography really pop on this 4K restoration from Vinegar Syndrome; while the gore is another saving grace, and just as messy as the movie is. One of the weakest films of its sub-genre, MAUSOLEUM nonetheless sustains itself in large part to the Scream Queen-worthy performance of Bobbie Bresee. It's a shame it didn't lead to a healthy string of similar roles for her considering the effort she puts in here. A multi-talented actress and musician, thanks for the (monster) mammaries, Ms. Bresee.

This review is representative of the Vinegar Syndrome DVD/Blu-ray combo. Specs and extras: new 4K scan from original 35mm negative; 1080p 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen; interview with makeup effects artist John Carl Buechler; original theatrical trailer; TV spots; still gallery; reversible artwork; English subs; running time: 01:36:58